Hazard Island
by SonamyLovah
Summary: Amy wins a vacation to Hazard Island! Everyone is excited about going, until they realize that their vacation spot is haunted! Will the Sonic Team survive the trip? Sonamy, Tailseam, and Knuxouge. Mostly Sonic and Amy :P. Rated T for mild gore. MILD :3...and also for some spirity-eerity stuff later on, so yeah ;)
1. Vacation Time!

**Okay, so here's my first horror story. **

**I was going to post it on Halloween, but I'm FAR too lazy to wait two months. Sorry. So take this as an early Halloween story! YAY!**

**Not sure if Shadow should be in it yet. I guess that's up to y'all (lol Texan accent)**

**We can take votes on if Shadow is in this story or not if you want, because I really don't care. Personally, I like Shadow. He's cool, even though he's all emo and stuff. It's funny how he just stands there brooding (OMG kool new word! xD) **

**So yeah**

Sonic – 15

Amy – 12

Tails – 8

Cream – 6

Knuckles – 18

Rouge – 18

Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega, though I wish I owned Sonic's speed 'cause I want to be a track star runner. AWW YEAH.

- Hazard Ialand -

Amy yawned. She watched the computer screen in front of her with little interest, clicking the mouse every once in a while.

"How boring...," Amy complained dully. "Why don't people update their stories on this stupid website faster?" **(lol fanfiction. Exactly how I feel, yet I'm a slow updater myself :P)**

Suddenly, a random advertisement popped up. "Congratulations!" it read. "You have just won an all expense paid trip to Hazard Island!"

Amy gasped with glee. She kept reading.

"Press the button below to print out your ticket. You may bring as many friends as you please. Your flight to paradise is just a click away!"

"Oh my gosh," Amy giggled. "This is exciting!" She clicked the mouse. A few moments later, a small purple ticket copied itself out of her printer. Amy grabbed it.

"I need to tell everyone about this!"

X

"Did she fall for it?"

"She did, Sir. Didn't even research the place to see if it was safe or not."

"Well done. Soon, all of the Sonic Team will be gone."

"Yes Sir."

"It was all too easy. No more will I suffer from that pesky hedgehog!"

"Whatever you say, Sir…"

"I WILL RULE THE WORLD!"

"Don't exaggerate, Sir."

"Shut up."

"Yes Sir."

X

Tails read the ticket for the seventh time. He was flabbergasted.

"You serious, Amy?" he grinned. "We can really take this vacation?"

"That's right! And everyone already knows and is going!"

Tails started dancing around the room. "This is so great!"

Sonic poked his head in from another bedroom. He looked kind of drowsy, a sign that he had been sleeping.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Sonic!"

Amy ran in and hugged him. Sonic tried to look annoyed, but his pink muzzle wasn't helping much. He unwrapped her arms from around him, but she just embraced him again, and this time, tighter.

"Sonic, Amy won us a free trip to some island!" Tails explained.

"That's great!" Sonic grinned. Amy let go of him so he could speak. "A new place for me to explore."

"Exactly, so pack your bags!

Sonic rolled his eyes. "What bags? I don't need anything."

Amy rolled her eyes. Of course he didn't. He would probably be going with nothing, once again, and then come to her sometime during the vacation, asking her for something he didn't know he needed. She was all too used to it.

"The plane takes off in twenty minutes," Amy exclaimed. "So, you'd better go get ready."

"P-plane…?" Sonic coughed apprehensively. He bit his lip.

"Yeah, how else are we going to get there?"

"We could run there!"

"Over a thousand miles of ocean?"

Sonic sweat dropped.

"Well…now that I think of it…maybe a plane would be better."

"You sure you're not going to get airsick again?" Tails mocked him teasingly. Sonic's face turned red with embarrassment. That was a memory he didn't want to go down again.

"Remember when he puked all over that celebrity?" Tails grinned. "That was priceless!"

"Yeah, I know!" Amy laughed. "She was so mad! Would have sued him too if he wasn't so famous."

"Okay!" Sonic grimaced. "I think that's enough of _that_!"

Tails wiped away a tear. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll just go pack now."

"Me too, me too," Amy agreed. Tails pushed Amy out of the house (not literally) and then they all went their separate ways.

X

"You guys ready for this?" Amy asked. They were all on the airplane and had just been informed that they would be landing in ten minutes or less. She was so excited, there was no way she could hide it. Before they had left, she had been packing like she was leaving for a year. Now the whole group was sitting on the plane as it flew effortlessly through the cloudless sky.

"Sure am!" Rouge grinned, adjusting her sunglasses. She had more suitcases than Amy (if that was even possible) and was traveling in her favorite black bodysuit. She also had on her traditional white gloves with her extended pallid boots. The cunning bat looked totally ready for a nice, long retreat.

"We're ready! Right, Cheese?" Cream giggled excitedly. The little chao on her lap squealed with delight. She was clothed in her usual orange dress and blue tie. Her large brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

Knuckles groaned angrily. "I can't believe you guys talked me into this. Team Chaotix had better take good care of the Master Emerald."

"They will," Tails assured him. "Stop worrying."

"C-could I have another, URP, bag?" Sonic asked the flight attendant woozily. She tossed one on his lap. He barfed into it immediately, and then held it back out to her to so it could be disposed of. The lady had a disgusted look on her face. She took it and left quickly, holding it with two fingers as far away from her body as possible like it was a dead frog.

Sonic held his stomach weakly. The whole ride, Sonic had been feeling totally nauseous. He had never liked planes. In fact, he didn't like anything that meant his feet weren't on the ground. He would have jumped out of the window if they hadn't been hovering over the sea.

_"Ahem, is this thing on?"_ a voice boomed throughout the plane. _"LISA! Is my microphone on?" _Lisa was the copilot. They all heard a small commotion, and then the loud voice echoed around the room again. _"Ahem, this is your pilot speaking. We should be landing in…um…LISA, WHEN SHOULD WE BE LANDING?"_

Everyone sweat dropped. It was obvious that their pilot wasn't very dependable. It seemed that he relied on his associate for everything, and that fact had all the passengers nervous.

_"Okay, erm, I apologize for the miscommunication. We should be landing…now. Yes, that's right. NOW."_

BUMP! Everyone was lifted into the air for a split second on the harsh landing. Sonic gulped, clapping his hands over his mouth. Cheese shrieked with pleasure. Needless to say, she was the only one who had enjoyed the impact. Everyone else seemed rather frustrated, even Amy.

_"Thank you for…um…Lisa, what are we thanking them for again?"_

Loud groans emitted from everybody. This was getting seriously annoying. Amy sighed irritably. Why couldn't the guy just let them off this stupid thing? When the speaker came back on, a different voice came through.

"_Sorry about that, folks,"_ the voice apologized. It sounded more feminine than the Pilot's. _"This is Lisa, your copilot. We would like to thank you for flying with us and you may exit the plane as soon as the hatch doors open."_

All the girls cheered. Thank goodness! The boys didn't really seem to care much, except for Sonic that is. The energetic hedgehog seemed more than glad to be getting off. The moment the hatch doors unlocked, he sped through them without hesitation. Then once the plane was emptied, it took off, leaving everyone alone on the land mass.

Sonic patted the dirt gleefully with the toe of his red sneakers. "Good old solid ground!" he chuckled.

Amy came up next to him. "Well, we're here."

"Yup," Rouge smiled. Knuckles was right behind her, carrying all her suitcases with ease. She winked at him seductively. "Hold those a little longer, will ya, sweetie?"

Knuckled nodded earnestly. He wanted nothing more but to impress her with his super strength. Then he remembered he was supposed to pretend hate her so she didn't get any ideas.

"Whatever, batgirl," he glared, rolling his eyes. She giggled at his idiocy. She saw right through his detestation disguise.

"Where will we be staying?" Cream asked courteously.

They all scanned the habitat curiously. It was a remarkably unusual place. There was a huge forest, maybe thirty miles thick, on the other side of the island. The rest was just sand and ocean. Out on the horizon, they spotted a cluster of small cabins, poorly prepared, on the brink of the woods. Amy looked at Rouge with insecurity. Before, she had been so excited, it had been difficult to contain herself. Now, she was having second thoughts.

"Let's go!" Sonic declared. He was the only one who was wholly unaware of the rotten situation they all were in. The only thing he noticed at the moment was that his feet were back where they were supposed to be; on the ground. "Last one there is a rotten chilidog!" He took off.

"Since when has THAT been the expression?" Amy asked.

"I don't want to be a rotten chilidog!" Knuckles bellowed. "They smell of bad chili is gross!" He took off too, still carrying Rouge's suitcases in his arms.

"KNUCKLES!" Rouge shrieked. She had some priceless jewelry stored away and was worried they'd get damaged. "YOU BETTER PUT MY STUFF DOWN OR ELSE!" She beat her dark purple wings and soared into the air, coming up behind him.

"Chao, chao!" Cheese squeaked. She flapped her tiny wings and followed Rouge. Goodness knows why…

"Cheese!" Cream cried out. "Come back!" She went off as well, shouting her tiny chao's name.

Tails looked down and saw Cream's suitcases, side by side on the earth. He gasped. She had forgotten them! He picked them up and ran after her.

"Cream, your stuff!" he yelled, trying to get her attention. Too bad she was too significantly focused on her runaway chao to hear him.

Amy was the only one left. She blinked twice, trying to process what had just happened. She shook her head back and forth slowly. _"This is going to be fun…,"_ she thought as she trudged after her friends.

X

"I call this one!" Sonic confirmed. He was referring to the cabins. He had picked the one farthest away from the beach, which happened to be just a few steps away.

Amy glared at him. "No fair! I wanted that one!" She only wanted it because it was the best made.

"Too bad, ya should've been here earlier instead of going so slooooow."

Amy glowered furiously. "I couldn't beat you even if I wanted to. You're the fastest thing alive!"

"Thank you, thank you," he bowed, grinning.

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"Guys, everyone else has already chosen where they're going to stay and is probably unpacking by now," Tails said. "You could just share the cabin."

"WHAT?" they both shrieked. Sonic's muzzle went a deep shade of red, even though he was trying really hard to hide it. Amy was giggling uncontrollably. She poked his cheek.

"Sonic, are you blushing?" she asked hopefully.

"No!" He swatted her hand away, but she just continued jabbing him again.

"You are! You are blushing!" she beamed. "Aww, you look so cute!"

Sonic appeared a little uncomfortable with that comment. He backed away, edging towards the chosen cottage.

"Don't even!" Amy threatened. She ran past him and grabbed the latch on the door.

"Hey, you cheated!"

"So did you!"

"GUYS!" Tails roared. They both turned around, shocked.

"There are three cabins left! I get one, and you two get the others. JUST PICK ONE!"

Amy shifted around, ashamed. "Sorry, Tails," she said meekly. "I'll go stay in the other one."

Sonic laughed with triumph. "Sonic wins again!"

Amy stuck her tongue out at him. Then she picked up her stuff and entered her new home.

X

"So, what's the verdict?"

"They have landed on the island safely, Sir."

"SAFELY? I bribe the worst pilot on Mobius to fly them there and they land SAFELY?"

"It would seem so, Sir."

"Ugh, no matter. If the ride won't kill them, the island certainly will."

"Yes, Sir"

"They cannot win this time!"

"Pardon me, Sir. But isn't that the exact same thing you said the last time the hedgehog beat you? And the time before that, and the—"

"We _get_ it."

"Yes, Sir."

"But this time is different, because that 'tropical island' is HAUNTED! MUAHAHAHA!"

"Please don't laugh like that, Sir. My ears are sensitive."

"…You don't even have ears."

"…"

X

After hours spent unpacking, Amy collapsed on the "bed" prepared for her. Scientifically speaking, it was just an old mattress that reeked of old people and death. At the sudden contact, huge clouds of dust came from the mattress and filled the atmosphere. Amy coughed, fanning the air in front of her.

"This place is disgusting!" she wheezed. "Who's the sleaze-ball that decorated it?"

She whipped a can of air freshener out of her bag and sprayed it frantically around the room. It didn't help much, but it was enough to extinguish the sickening odor.

"I wonder if Sonic has it as bad as me…"

X

"UGH, it's disgusting!" Sonic wailed. He was standing in front of the fridge, a dismayed look on his face. Sitting on the bottom rack was a can of brand-new vegetables, some dead fish, a moldy pizza, and a bowl of icky, smelly, revolting glop.

"Now I know how that flight attendant felt! This is repulsive!"

Sonic slammed the refrigerator door shut, sealing its nauseating contents inside. He traveled to his room quickly, not even noticing the same horrible scent Amy was dealing with at that exact moment.

"I think I'm going to go on a run," Sonic told himself. "Yeah, I've been dying to explore this place for a while now." He took off, rocketing out the door.

X

Amy went outside. She needed some fresh air after her conflict with the stench in her room. She wasn't surprised to see Rouge, Cream, and Cheese already on the beach. She walked up to them and sat down next to Rouge. The bat looked weary.

"You okay, Rouge?" Amy asked.

"I'm cool. But I just came from a battle between me and this HORRIBLE smell in my bedroom!"

"I feel you, hun. You can borrow my air freshener if you want."

Rouge snatched the can out of Amy's hands. "Thanks, Amy. You're the best," she smiled. "Hey Cream, you need some?"

Cream nodded eagerly. She too had been assaulted by the disgusting odor and was desperate for a way to eliminate it. It had been making Cheese sick, and that kind of eradicated her previous cheerful attitude.

"Okay sweetie, I'll let you borrow it after I'm done and then you can return it to Amy."

"Thank you, Mrs. Rouge!"

Amy looked around. From the angle they were sitting at, the place didn't look so bad. Sure, it had a few bugs, but they could fix them! Maybe their retreat wouldn't be so bad after all. However, all her hope came crashing down when she saw Tails running at top speed over to her, a horrified look on his face.

"HELP!" he screamed. "THE WOODS ARE HAUNTED!"

All the girls stood up and watched the horror-struck fox come to a complete stop in front of them. His face was pale and he was shuddering.

"Tails, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Amy exclaimed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"T-that forest…I-it's unnatural!" he whimpered fearfully. "Absolutely d-d-dreadful..."

"What's in there?" Rouge pestered. "What did you see?"

"Things n-no one should have to w-witness…ever…"

"Like…?" Cream asked. She hugged Cheese to her chest.

Tails kept trembling. "Blood…Bodies…Skulls…," he sniveled. "Bloodcurdling screams c-could be heard, no matter where y-you were…and the moaning…horrible…"

Amy looked at Rouge anxiously. Cream squeezed Cheese so tight the little chao yelped. They were all terrified now.

"Let's just make sure no one else goes in there," Amy insisted. "Then we can enjoy our vacation."

Tails' pupils shrunk slightly. "B-but Amy…Sonic's in there too."

"WHAT?" she shrieked. If he was kidding she was going to bash him so hard with her hammer he would sink right through the earth.

"Yeah, he went on a run a few minutes ago. I went with him and then we got separated," Tails explained. "He's still in there, I bet."

Amy grasped her heart. She knew she had to get Sonic out before something awful happened to him.

"I'm going in there," Amy declared.

"No you're not!" Rouge frowned. "You might die."

"Sonic's in there, and I'm going to help him. Like it or not." She stormed off in the direction of the jungle.

"Wait!" Rouge cried out. She grabbed Amy's arm. "I'll go with you. That way if anything happens, I can fly us out."

Amy nodded. They continued towards the forest.

Cream started to cry. She sobbed into Cheese, her whole body quivering. Tails put his arm around her.

"Don't worry, Cream. They'll be fine." She nodded, sniffling.

X

Amy and Rouge entered their destination reluctantly. Neither of them were excited in the least to be there, but they both knew they had to find Sonic.

"SONIC!" Amy called out. "SONIC, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"HEY, BLUE BOY!" Rouge yelled. "GET OVER HERE!"

They waited for an answer, but none came. The only thing that could be heard was the rushing wind and their own breathing. Rouge gripped her arms nervously. A loud moaning suddenly came from behind them. The girls whipped themselves around, but saw no one there. Then an earsplitting screech could be heard from all directions. Amy covered her ears and Rouge did the same. It sounded like a young child screaming with pain. After a few moments it stopped and the girls released their ears cautiously. When they looked around, they saw blood on the trees and bodies sprawled all over the ground. Then whenever they took a step, they could hear the devestating crunch of a broken skull under their feet.

Amy bit back a sob. She was utterly terrified. Tails had been right all along. Rouge was trying to act brave, but it was absolutely impossible after what they had just seen and heard.

"S-Sonic?" Amy sniffled. "Wherever you are, please come out!"

"Amy, look!" Rouge cried out, pointing over into a cluster of trees. "There he is!"

Sonic was sitting in a small grove, his knees up to his chest. He looked worse than Tails had. His eyes were red and his cobalt fur was a sickening pale.

Amy ran over to him and collapsed to her knees, wrapping her arms around him. "Sonic, you're okay!" she wailed. "I thought you were dead!"

Sonic didn't move. He seemed too frightened to budge. So, Amy helped him up, her arm around his shoulder. The screaming started up again, and Sonic let out a cry of horror. This time, it sounded like a teenage girl.

"Can you get us out of here, Rouge?" she shouted over the screams. The bat nodded. She extended her wings and carried them, lifting them high up until they were above the trees. Then she flew away from the forest and onto the safety of the beach where Cream and Tails were waiting patiently.

"Sonic!" Tails gasped when he saw the horrified hedgehog. He ran forward and hugged his brother.

Sonic placed his gloved hand on his head. "I-I need a breather…," he sighed shakily.

"We all do…," Amy said. "Let's go back to our cabins."

Tails nodded. "Let's schedule a little meeting for us all in an hour. Everyone needs to know what's going on."

"Agreed," they all decided.

**Omg SpOoKy!**

**So basically, the group has to face a haunted "paradise". Poor Sonic, he's probably scarred for life.**

**Sonic: *hugs knees and rocks back and forth* I'm in my happy place…I'm in my happy place…**

**Me: O_O**

**Review please! **


	2. Acid Rain

**Yo, people! So here's the second chap. I must say, that was some mighty fast updating. **

**So far, we have three votes for Shadow. Keep it up please! **

**I hope you enjoy the second chapter! I decided to have a bit of Romance/Humor here. I needed to add Sonamy because I'm a hopeless Sonamy Fan Freak! xD**

**Omg I just realized that school starts tomorrow. NO, I'M GOING TO DIIIIIIE! I don't even have all my school supplies or clothes or make-up (not that I wear it anyway) or notepads or pencils or anything and it's…****8:32PM****! OMG I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT! NOOOOOOOOO!**

**So, yeah. Here ya go!**

Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega.

-Hazard Island-

"Ok, is everyone here?" Tails asked.

Everyone was sitting on the beach in front of the youthful fox as he brought the emergency meeting to order. Sonic still looked kind of freaked out, so Amy sat next to him, comforting him whenever he appeared frightened.

"We're all here, Tails," Rouge answered. "Right, Knuckie?"

Knuckles muzzle turned scarlet. "I told you to stop calling me that, Batgirl!"

"I will, once you start calling me by my name."

"Fine," he glowered. "Rrrrrrrro-ouge."

"That's better, _Knuckie_."

"That's KNUCKLES! My name is KNUCKLES! N-U-K-L-E-S!"

Rouge and Amy giggled at his stupidity. Cream looked confused.

"Um, isn't it K-N-U-C-K-L-E-S?" she asked respectfully.

Rouge burst out laughing. "Omg, Knux! A _six year old_ can spell better than you!"

Knuckles face turned as red as his fur with embarrassment. "At least she called me by a better nickname…," he muttered under his breath.

"AHEM," Tails coughed. "Are you quite finished?"

"Yep," Rouge snickered.

"Okay then. I've called you all here because of the problem we've been having lately."

"What problem?" Knuckles asked. Amy smacked her forehead with the palm of her gloved hand.

"Well, you see, this island is dangerous. Or, dare I say, haunted."

"That's right," Amy agreed. "Just an hour ago, Sonic and Tails entered the forest and came out absolutely petrified."

"In fact," Rouge added. "Sonic wouldn't have left if we hadn't gone in and rescued him. He probably would have ended up like the other hideous carcasses in there."

"Exactly," Tails said, nodding his head. "And that's why we have to vacate the premises immediately."

"Wait a minute," Cream burst out. "Didn't the plane leave yesterday? Doesn't that mean there's no way to leave?"

"That's a good point, Cream," Tails concurred. "So I guess we have two options."

"Which are?" Knuckles asked.

"We either swim for our lives, or we stay and wait until the airplane comes back."

"How long will that be?"

"Two weeks at the most."

"TWO WEEKS?" everyone gasped. That was far too long! They would all be dead after the first day, how could they survive a fortnight?

"We'll be extinct by the end of the night!" Sonic wailed. "We can't possibly wait that long."

"Well, it's either that, or we encounter the Pacific Ocean."

Sonic gulped. Since he didn't know how to swim, he would certainly drown if he took on the sea. So either way, he was going to die. At least if they hid out on the island, no matter how perilous it was, they would have a chance for survival.

"M-maybe it would be best if we stayed here…"

"Good to know. Let's try to ignore the scary stuff and just enjoy the time we have here. I mean, when's the next time we're going to have a vacation?"

"Good point," said Amy. "I guess as long as no one goes into the forest, we'll be fine."

"Exactly," Tails smiled.

Sonic looked around. "Does anyone else feel rain?"

Everyone looked up. Tiny droplets of precipitation were coming down from the heavens in small numbers. It didn't seem to be a big deal.

"I'm getting inside!" Sonic announced. "If the woods are bad, I'm sure the rain is even worse!"

"Oh c'mon," Tails laughed. "How bad can it be?"

That's when they heard Knuckles scream. He was holding his right hand and there were slight tears in his eyes. Rouge ran over by his side.

"Knux, are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.

"R-Rouge…the rain went r-right through my hand!" he whimpered.

"Wait, what?" Amy gasped.

Another raindrop came down, this time sinking right through Rouge's left wing. She shrieked with pain.

"Everyone, get inside!" Sonic cried out. They didn't need to be asked twice. But, for some reason they all ran into Sonic's house. The blue hedgehog himself came in last, locking the door behind him. Knuckles was moaning with agony as Rouge studied the wound. The drop of water had created a tiny hole in his hand, not very deep since it had been of a small size. Rouge had a tear in her wing that Amy was patching up with her handy medical supplies.

"Haunted woods, acid rain," Sonic sighed. "…What next?"

"Emeral's rabbit-eating ghost?" Cream asked fearfully. **(Emeral, or ML, shown in Sonic X)**

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"How's your hand, Knuckles?" Tails asked, desperately trying to break the tension.

"Painful," was his answer.

"There," Rouge smiled. "You're done, Knuckie…I mean, Knux."

"Thanks, Rouge."

Amy sighed. She stood in front of the window, watching the rain fall outside. It seemed harmless, yet it was so deadly. It was strange how such a trivial substance could cause so much damage. Sonic walked over and stood next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, making her heart pound.

"Don't worry, Ames," he grinned. "It'll all be over before you know it."

_"__Ames__?"_ she thought with anticipation. "_Is that some sort of new pet name? OH MY GOSH this is so amazing!"_

Amy took advantage of the moment and leaned against his tan chest, burrowing the side of her head into his fur. Sonic didn't protest, and that just made her even happier.

Knuckles smirked from behind them. There was camera in his hands. After taking a quick picture, he shoved the photo in his suitcase. "That one's going on youtube," he whispered deceitfully.

X

Tails groaned from the window. It had been raining non-stop for five hours and they were all getting cranky.

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Knuckles complained. "We've been trapped in this prison for a year!"

"Knuckles, it's only been a few hours."

"Well, a few hours to you are ten months in echidna years."

"First of all, there are twelve months in a year, and second of all, Echidna years?" Rouge snorted. "What the heck is that?"

"You know, it's like dog years, just different."

"Knuckles, you need to stop watching Animal Planet."

Amy entered the room, spraying her beloved Febreze bottle all around the room. "I can't take this anymore!" she moaned. "It's like something was attacked by a skunk, rolled around in manure, and then passed away! I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Guys," Cream announced gleefully. "I think the acid stuff is gone!"

"Are you serious?" Knuckles asked.

"Yup," Cream beamed. "See for yourself!"

Everyone ran to the window, pushing each other out of the way. Knuckles and Tails pressed their faces against the glass. Cream was right, the rain had stopped.

"WOO-HOO!" Sonic cheered. He practically knocked the door down on his way out.

"SONIC!" Amy cried. She ran after him. "Get back here! You don't know what's out there!"

Amy chased after Sonic while he dashed around the island at top speed. Sonic looked behind him to see her just inches away.

"How on Mobius do you keep up with me?"

"Who knows? Maybe all those years of chasing after you are paying off."

"You can't beat me! I'm the fastest thing alive!"

"Oh yeah, just watch me!"

The two hedgehogs ran around the beach, laughing the whole time. Sometimes Sonic would slow down just a bit, and then zip away right before she reached him. Who knew chasing each other could be so entertaining? It was the first amusement they had experienced since they had gotten there.

Knuckles whipped out the camera again. This time he pressed record, videoing the whole prospect while chuckling devilishly. Rouge came up next to him and examined what he was doing. She smirked.

"Ya know, Knuckles. You have to take the lens cap off the camera before you start recording, or you'll just get a black screen."

Knuckles looked at the camera and saw she was right. "Whoops…" He did what she said and then continued videoing the scene.

"Maybe this place isn't so bad," Tails smiled. "As long as we avoid all the bad locations, this'll be a blast!"

X

Eggman studied the screen on his computer furiously. "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" he screamed.

A short gray robot wearing a butler's tux stood by his side. It was all too obvious that he was annoyed and fed up. "What's an outrage, Sir?"

"The Sonic Team aren't dead yet! I mean, look at them! They're flipping _enjoying_ themselves!"

"Well, maybe they just know how to have a good time, Sir," the robot sighed. "Unlike a certain weirdo I know…"

"What was that, Robobot Butler 300?"

"Nothing, Sir," Robobot Butler 300 hissed, muttering for the hundredth time how much he hated his name.

"Anyways, because my plan isn't going as premeditated, it's time to convey some heavier artillery."

"Like…?"

Eggman threw his head back and laughed evilly, making his enormous stomach jiggle. "Wait and see, Robobot Butler 300…Wait and see…"

**Okay, so basically there's a small cliffhanger. What is Eggman planning? Will the Sonic Team survive this heinous trip? How long will their enjoyment last? Why am I asking all these stupid questions?**

**Yes, I know, I spelled Robot wrong. I meant to. I just think the word Robobot is so KOOL! LOL so please don't mention it.**

**Another thing, I just wanted to let everyone know that I own this story 100% and if anyone tries to steal my idea I will cut off the hand they used to steal it with and shove up their butt. Then I'll bash their heads so hard with my mallet (yes I actually have one) that their cranium will sink inside their bodies, so that they'll have to live the rest of their pathetic lives headless, handless, and with that hand up there butt and around the corner. Understand?**

**No pressure. Just don't steal my story. C:**

**For all you people who don't steal other people's ideas, this message isn't for you. You guys rock!**

**Okay I'm done talking about that. Please review and keep voting on Shadow! So far, it's going pretty well. **

**One more thing. You were right, doctorcookiemonster. It was Eggman and a wise(ehm)butt Butler. Hey, maybe that's why they call him a butler. Ya know, BUTler LOL. I'm such a nerd.**

**Bye! :D**


	3. Rose

**Eh, I'm sorry about the wait. I don't know where I got the inspiration, but yeah. **

**Here ya go.**

**Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy 14th Birthday to me!**

**(Birthday was the 30th of december :3)**

**Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa :D**

**See you all later!**

**(Edit: Okay, so I went back on 1/15/12 and edited it, checking for any grammar mistakes. Turns out, there were more than I thought. Also, I added a bit to the Sonic/Amy fighting scene. **

**Why did I do this?**

**Because I can.)**

_Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega and the Sonic Team._

_Rose (the new character) and her family belongs to me_

-Hazard Island-

Knuckles walked along the beach, smiling the whole time (which was kind of rare). Three days had passed since they had arrived. The only thing out-of-order had been the horrific smell. But even that had become extinct, thanks to Tails and his amazing IQ (who knows how high it is?). Today, everyone had - supposedly - gone inside. Having the whole outdoors to himself, the red echidna was content. He folded his arms across his chest and exhaled.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the area, breaking the silence:

"Oh, what am I going to do?"

Knuckles looked around curiously. "Hello?" he called. "Is someone there?"

"Oh, God up in Heaven, please. Please get us through this somehow."

Walking around to the back of his own cabin, Knuckles spotted a white bat, crouching next to a grassy, wild bush. He knew who she was immediately, of course; but her actions almost made him reconsider her identity. She was literally on her knees, praying for help. This was something she would never do, because she was –

"Rouge?" he inquired, genuinely surprised. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

Rouge turned around. Her face was streaked with tears, eyeliner and mascara running down both her cheeks. It was apparent that the teenaged bat had forgotten to put on water-proof makeup before coming outside to his backyard.

"Knuckles," Rouge sputtered out. Her tears stopped falling in an instant, but the only thing on her mind was, "Oh, my god. I must look terrible, and in front of Knuckles, too!"

He eyed her suspiciously. "You didn't steal something, did you? If you're after the Master Emerald again, you're too late. It's at Angel Island, remember?"

She shook her head expressively. "N-no, Knuckles. It's w-worse. It's so very much worse!"

Peeking around her crouching figure, Knuckles saw something move in the strange bush. A young - perhaps around the age of four - sky blue hedgehog-girl was hiding in the brush, her hands shielding her delicate little face. Wet tears had soaked the short locks dangling on the side of her head. She was wearing a tiny pink dress with spaghetti straps and flowers on it and childish shoes without laces. A little white bow connected to a pink headband was on the top of her little head.

"Who...?" Knuckles trailed off, unsure of what to say; or even of what to think, for that matter. His pea-sized brain couldn't seem to fathom the fact that for one thing: Rouge had found a vulnerable, female infant on the island behind his cabin; and another thing: Rouge was actually helping the girl, and not making sure said girl had anything shiny that could have been added to her own selfish belongings. To add on to that, Rouge had been praying! Praying! Who would have thought, a self-centered Mobian, such as Rouge the Bat herself, had a heart after all. No, this was all too much for the ignoramus in question. He held his head to stop the spinning going on in his own little universe.

Rouge, on the other hand, was glad to see Knuckles. Who would have thought that prayers worked after all? She wasn't accustomed to conversing with God, but apparently he had done something. She whispered her own small, thought-filled thanks to this deity whom had sent her aid.

"Knuckles," Rouge explained, "This is Rose. She told me that her family took a vacation here and disappeared."

"What?" Knuckles cried.

Rose looked up at him with big, innocent eyes. "Will you help me find my mommy?" she asked hopefully.

Knuckles could practically feel his hardened heart melting to her purity. "Of course I will, little, uh, kid," he said softly with a hint of his usual awkwardness. He was, you see, comforting a midget girl who was old enough to be called an infant. The prideful echidna wasn't used to humoring such creatures.

"What happened to them, Rose?" Rouge asked kindly, trying to ward off the discomfiture. "You're family, I mean."

"Well," Rose began. "A little while ago, my mommy and my big sissy and I came here on vacation. We were supposed to be here a week. But on the second day, things started happening and it got scary real fast. When it rained, we stayed inside, and Mommy said not to go in the woods." Rouge and Knuckles exchanged glances.

"Go on," Rouge encouraged, worriedly.

"On the fifth day, Sissy said she could hear something moving around upstairs in the attic and went up to explore, even when Mommy told her not to. She didn't come back down, but we heard her scream. Mommy, looking all scared, picked me up and hid me in this bush. She told me, 'Don't you ever leave this bush, Rose. Someone will come get you soon, I promise. I love you, honey'. Then, when she went back inside, my mommy screamed too." The little girl paused, her bright purple eyes looking mystified. "It's been awful quite since and I was too scared to leave my bush."

Rouge wiped away a stray tear. "Don't worry, baby," she reassured. "We've come to take you away from this place."

"Really," Rose smiled. "Will Mommy and Sissy come too?"

Looking a little uncomfortable, Rouge said. "They will if we can find them, honey." If you could smell a lie, the area would have become too foul to stay hanging around. She lifted the abandoned child up on her shoulders and flew them both into her own hut.

Knuckles shook his head. "This place is whacked up," he said.

X

"You found what?" Sonic gasped. Everyone had crowded inside Amy's cabin. Rouge - with Rose resting safely in her arms - was the center of attention.

"She's a lost little girl!" Rouse countered. "She was probably orphaned because of this stupid island. We NEED to get home as soon as possible."

"We still have eleven days left!" Tails reminded them. "Will she be able to survive that long?"

"Will WE be able to survive that long?" Cream shot back at him. She had been uncharacteristically cranky ever since she had found five hundred dead cockroaches under her bed.

"We'll survive," Tails soothed her. "We always survive."

"You don't know that," Knuckles said.

"Would you butt out?" Tails yelled. "You're not helping any."

"Meh," was his answer.

"Rose," Amy encouraged carefully. She didn't want to scare the poor child any more. "Did you see what made your family scream that day?"

"Um," Rose considered. "I saw a strange moving darkness that stretched across the dirt from inside the house (shadows, duh), I think. Usually, there were only two moving darkness's. There was one for Mommy and one for Sissy. But there was this other one. It was huge and all furry-looking. It vanished after a while."

Everyone sucked in their breath at the same time.

"Could we...," Sonic said out loud, "could we be dealing with a monster?"

"I hope not!" Amy cried.

"Where did this occur, Rose?" Rouge asked.

"In the red guys' cabin," she said all casually.

Knuckles got pale real fast after that. "I am not going back there," he declared. Then he added, "Even if it is where I live now."

"No," Sonic agreed. "You're not. But I am."

"What?" Amy, Rouge, and Cream all gasped at the same time.

"NO WAY are you going in there alone!" Amy demanded as if all her friends hadn't just walked out on her. "I'm going with you."

Grabbing her shoulders firmly, Sonic said with a tremor in his voice, "You are staying right here where you're safe, Ames. I am not going to risk your life."

"But I want to go!" she begged. "I won't let you die in there, Sonic!"

"My life is perfectly safe," he told her. "But yours will be in danger if you come. I won't let anything happen to you, Ames. You're staying with the others." Feeling overcome with emotions he didn't quite understand, Sonic ran outside.

Face flushing, Amy screamed, "NO!" and followed him. He had already made it to Knuckles' window, but still he heard her poignant outburst. Sonic was taken aback by the passion in that one, two-lettered word.

Amy grabbed Sonic's peach-colored arms and looked him dead in the eye. "YOU are GOING to let me come, Sonic the Hedgehog. Like it or not."

Shaking his head, he said wearily, "But Amy, I-"

Amy leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek, silencing him without a doubt. Sonic blushed furiously.

"Look, Sonic," Amy told him in a softer voice. "I love you so much, and when you put yourself in danger for us, I feel as if I have to help you. I feel that if I don't and something happens to you, I will live the rest of my days in endless dread; wishing I had done something to help. Wishing I had saved you. I won't let you go alone. If you're going to risk your life, then by God, I'm going to risk mine as well."

Sonic, finally understanding where Amy's concern lay, reluctantly agreed she could tag along.

X

"I press," Eggman said proudly as he clicked a button. "Unleash the monster. It's time for the 'beast' to wake up."

Robobot Butler 300 shook his head back in forth with disapproval. He was sitting in the corner, playing chess with his best robot friend; Robutt Butler 5,000. Robutt Butler 5,000 moved his queen to a position that was diagonal of Robobot Butler 300's king.

"Checkmate."

X

Sonic and Amy sneaked around the side of Knuckles' cabin, heading for the door.

"Okay," Sonic whispered. "If you see something, I want you to hit it with your hammer. Just make sure it's not me you hit."

"Right," Amy whispered back, revealing her understanding for the situation at hand.

"Here we go."

Sonic kicked open the door with the heel of his trademark red sneakers. The couple scanned the livingroom cautiously, but there was nothing to see. It was empty except for a miniature velvet couch and a desk made of wood. The window was next to the couch.

"I'm going to check the attic," Sonic told Amy. "You stay below."

"What if the monster's up there and you need help?" Amy asked.

"I'll scream like a little girl," Sonic said sarcastically. "Go!"

Amy nodded, quietly walking slowly towards the other rooms. Taking a deep breath, Sonic went to the center of the livingroom. A string with a ball attached to the end of it was dangling down from the ceiling. The attic was obviously right over his head. All he had to do was pull the string and the attic would open, sending a built-in ladder down. Sonic grabbed the string and pulled. The opening in the ceiling came down, ladder and all.

"This is it," Sonic sighed. He started climbing up the ladder.

That's when he heard it - actually, it was so loud, the whole island could have heard it. A terrifying roar echoed through the house, coming from the darkened space above. Unafraid, Sonic kept climbing.

"Sonic, stop!" Amy begged from the bottom. He turned around.

"What is it?" Sonic asked, confused.

"Above you!" she shrieked.

Looking up, Sonic saw what had made Amy's face such a pale pink. A ginormous beast, perhaps twice the size of Were-Sonic, was lumbering around inside the attic. He - or she - was sniffing the ground as if searching for something.

"It can smell us, Sonic!" Amy whimpered. "Get down from the ladder, please!"

Unscathed, Sonic climbed the rest of the way up into the attic. He turned on the light switch. The beast cowered from the light, covering it's hideous face.

"It doesn't like light!" Sonic grinned.

Rolling her eyes, Amy said, "Sonic, it's not afraid of the light. The beast has probably been locked up there in the dark for so long; it hurts to finally be reintroduced to all that stuff."

Sonic turned red. "Oh."

"Assssssccccchhhhh," the beast hissed. Huge yellow-black teeth bared at the blue hedgehog.

"Well, we know one thing," Sonic said. "It doesn't like me."

"ASAZCH!" The beast lunged for Sonic as if ready to tear him apart. Sonic, immune to such attacks, moved out of the way in the nick of time. However, unable to stop it-self, the beast tumbled down the flight of stairs created by the ladder...straight for Amy's petrified form.

"AMY, LOOK OUT!" Sonic cried, realizing where the beast was headed.

Amy screamed as the beast landed on top of her, trapping her fragile body underneath all its weight. Unbearably massive claws dug into her shoulders. She yelped with pain, hot tears running down her face.

Something tugged at Sonic's heart as he helplessly watched Amy be harassed by such a merciless being. He had felt this before. It was like a twist of Amy's kiss on the cheek and being all alone in the forbidden forest. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure of what he had to do. Without giving himself time for a second thought, Sonic bombarded down the ladder and out of the attic. Lunging, Sonic landed on the beasts back, his arms wrapping fiercely around the creatures humongous, hairy neck. Amy cried out at the extra weight on top of her. The beast, angered by the disturbance, hopped off Amy and started running around the room wildly, not caring where it was going or what it was running in to. Sonic's child-sized body bounced up and down repeatedly from each leap, each stride. All of a sudden, it was like being on that stupid plane all over again, and he could already feel the illness in his stomach.

"A-Amy," Sonic whimpered. Being free from the beast's towering figure made it a lot easier for Amy to help him now. She had already scrambled away from her spot beneath the ladder and had hidden near the window, as if ready to leave at any time. "G-get me...h...help me, it h-h-hurts..."

"Oh no," Amy cried out. "I'm coming, my love!"

Despite the situation at hand, Sonic already knew there was a tang of pink coloring his muzzle.

Running forward at a great speed, Amy snapped her fingers and a yellow/red hammer appeared in her right hand. With a battle cry, she slammed it down, aiming for the beast's head. Fortunately for the beast, it moved to the right int the nick of time, causing the weapon to crash down on the desk, shattering it in half. Sonic winced at her power.

Amy looked up from the destruction of wood and glared at the beast. "You over-sized creep!" She screamed, raising the hammer over her head again and charging for the beast once again. She took another swing, this time creating contact with the side of the couch, but she wasn't about to give up yet. With the weapon set, she yelled, "Let me introduce you to my hammer!"

This time when she attacked, she hit her mark. The hammer rammed into the side of the creature, just barely missing Sonic's leg. It let out a loud yelp of pain.

Now that it was temporarily immobilized, Amy bravely gripped bundles of fur from the creatures rear in her hands. It cried out again at the sudden pain shooting up through it's muscles, the injury clashing with the pain she had already caused with her hammer. Startled and annoyed more then ever, the beast tried to keep bucking Sonic off its back, but to no avail. Amy's death grip wouldn't let it move two inches from that very spot. Finally, the beast stopped rampaging and sat down, lowering its massive head with shame and defeat. Amy grinned at her success, but knowing that it wouldn't stay that way for long, she pressed two fingers to the back of its neck. Pressure points activated, the creature fell into a deep, welcoming slumber, right there on the floor of Knuckles' cabin.

After a second used to bring his mind back into focus, Sonic slid down off the strange creatures' back. At first, he wobbled a bit due to dizziness acquired from the whole experience; but with Amy's help, he stood upright, his hand on his forehead.

"Thanks, Amy," Sonic said woozily. "You saved me there."

Amy giggled and winked. "No problem, Sonikku! Anything for you."

Sonic, trying to hide his blush, looked at his shoes. He willed the floor to cave in and swallow him up. He could feel his whole body trembling from her seductive acts.

"Sonic, are you cold?" Amy asked curiously. "You're shivering like mad."

"Uh, n-no," Sonic chuckled anxiously. "I just...I'm a little sh-shaken up from...uh, ya know..."

Nodding to show she understood, Amy said, "Oh, okay." Then she added with a flirtatious smirk, "I'd be more than happy to share some of my body heat..."

Sonic could feel his skin crawl. His muzzle warmed excessively. "N-no, that won't be necessary..." Trying to change the subject, the blue hedgehog raised his jade green eyes back up to the attic's opening. Amy followed his gaze and cringed when she found what he was looking at, saying, "Where do you think it came from?"

"Up in the attic," Sonic answered simply. "Duh."

"No, I mean, in general," Amy rephrased. "I mean, it couldn't have been born up there."

Sonic grabbed onto the ladder and started climbing. "Let's find out," he called down to her.

"He said, 'let's'!" Amy sighed under her breath. "He invited me to come too! ME!" Ecstasy beyond comprehension, Amy practically twirled her way up the ladder.

As soon as they stepped into the attic, they wanted to barf. "SICK!" Sonic gagged. "It smells like crap on a burnt chili-dog up here!"

"You said it," Amy agreed, fanning away the air next to her nose. "I think I know why all our cabins have been smelling so bad lately."

Sonic looked around the huge dark space, looking inside and under everything. "There has got to be something up here," he said, his voice muffled for his head was inside a box. "That beast didn't smell NEARLY as bad as it does up here." Amy nodded and started checking out a couple mattresses that were lined up against the wall.

"Hey, Sonic," Amy said from one side of the room.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what this is?" She was crouching beside a peculiar object that had been installed inside a collar that was leaning lazily against the wall. It seemed to have been ripped in half...by teeth, perhaps?

Sonic inspected the device. "What on Mobius is that?" He picked it up, turning it over and looking it inside out.

"I don't know," Amy explained. "It was just...there... Ya know; leaning."

"We need to show this to Tails," Sonic said, taking control.

Amy sighed happily._ He's cute when he's demanding. _She giggled and looked about one more time when something caught her eye.

"OH, MY GOD!" Amy screamed.

Sonic grabbed her arm with shock, searching her up and down for any threats or cause for alarm. "What is it? Are you okay?"

She stabbed a finger at the corner of the attic. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!"

Sonic saw it alright. Curled up where the two walls met was a bloody, half-corpse of a beast, missing its backside. It was identical to the beast that had attacked them, but...but...

_But the original one was still alive._

"It's dead," Sonic assured her. "It can't hurt you."

"The p-poor creature," Amy hiccuped. "It must h-have died up here from st-starvation...Then the other beast must h-have eaten it to s-s-survive."

Sonic buried her head in his chest, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her. Sobs erupted from Amy's throat and she wept into his fur, hugging him tightly.

"I think we know why it stinks up here."

X

"Well," Tails inquired. "It seems to be some sort of remote control."

The whole Sonic Team was standing, once again, in Amy's cabin. The place was the sunniest - not to mention the most comfortable - so it was only common sense to hang out there instead of outside where it could rain anytime. Tails and Sonic were hovering over the object in question. Amy was hiding behind Sonic with her arms embracing him. The pink hedgehog had eventually gotten over the gory site she had been forced to witness, but the moment they had stepped out of the attic and Amy had laid eyes on the horrific creature to which had attempted to sexually harrased her, she had held him and not let go since, no matter the protests. Rouge, Knuckles, Cream, and Rose had occupied themselves on the couch playing a game of Speed.

"What kind of remote control?" Amy asked timidly.

Tails looked up with determination in his sapphire blue eyes. "An Eggman control."

"Eggman!" Sonic growled. "I should have known it was him."

"Yeah, you should have," Knuckles mumbled to no one in particular as he placed his last card - a queen of hearts - on top of Rouge's jack of spades with amazing quickness. "Speed."

"Darn it!" Rouge whined, slamming her fist on the table so hard Rose yelped and clutched onto Cream's orange dress.

"I face Mr. Knuckles now!" Cream shrieked excitedly. "You're going down this time, echidna."

"Back to what I was saying," Tails continued, "It is apparent that Eggman has been to this island. He must have planted that beast up in Knuckles' attic and placed this collar around its neck. This remote was made to control the beast's emotions. Furious about being held captive, the beast must have torn it loose with his teeth and prowled up there, slowing going mad about the darkness and tight space."

"Then, with nothing controlling it, the beast must have gone crazy at the sudden appearance of Rose's family," Amy added, catching on.

"Not only is Eggman evil, but he's a murderer as well," Sonic frowned.

"Speed," Knuckles chuckled as if the mood hadn't just become so tense they could have swam in it.

"Oh, poo," Cream pouted. "You're turn, Rose."

Rose took Cream's place on the couch gingerly. Knuckles, with a smirk, set up the cards again.

"Ready?" he asked, his gloved hand underneath the overturned card.

"Ready."

They both turned over their cards at the same time: Rose had the ace of hearts while Knuckles had the eight of diamonds. Rose snatched a king out of the deck in her hands and slapped it on top. Then another king; then a queen. Her hands moved so fast, they were practically a blur.

Knuckles slammed down a seven, a six, and a five, but he wasn't fast enough. He had only put down three cards by time Rose released her last one.

"Speed."

**Oh, my god. This chapter was crap on crap.**

**Please forgive me if there are any grammer mistakes. I try my best, really.**

**I also didn't reread this chapter like I usually do because I'm such a lazy bum.**

**Meh :3**

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVELY REVIEWS!**

**I love you all SOOOO much! I mean, 15! 15!**

_**15!**_

**I remember in my first story, Sonamy: Return, I was bouncing up and down at 3 reviews. That's how happy I was.**

**Now I have, like, 121. *giggle***

**I still memorized my very first review. *sigh***

**I'm such a loner.**

**Here ya go!**

**Review please! **


	4. Enter: Shadow

**My apology **

_**I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY I'M SO SORRY.**_

_**I AM SO SORRY!**_

_**What kind of author doesn't updating their stories for as long as I have? I'm such a failure!**_

_**FIVE MONTHS! I have been gone for FIVE MONTHS!**_

_**Don't look at me…my SHAME! *hides face***_

**End of my apology**

**(Although it should be much longer…*shot*…)**

**Okay, enough of that. On another note, I think I've gotten enough votes on Shadow joining the fray. Hold on…let me recount…**

**13?**

**I think that's right…so anyway, look forward to Shadow being in the chapter.**

**There will be a little bit of Shadow and Rouge…**

…**FRIENDSHIP. No love. Dey friends :3**

**TEEHEE.**

**But yeah, enjoy having our favorite black hedgehog in this story. I know I'M enjoying it and I haven't even WRITTEN it yet. :D **

**Here we go!**

Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega…sad face… …

- Hazard Island -

"Hey, Rouge, come over here."

Rouge groaned. "Do I _have_ to, Knuckles?" She rolled over on the couch so her face was pressed against the faded leather.

"Yes!" the impatient echidna demanded. "You have been lying on that couch for hours and I think you should get up and do something."

"Mmm," was her muffled reply.

"Get up this instant, batgirl," Knuckles ordered her, grabbing her wings and pulling them away from the couch. This hardly affected her at all since she had a pretty solid grip on the material.

"That's it. I'm giving you to the count of three to get up or I'll…I'll seriously…I'll…" Knuckles stopped talking, having lost his train of thought.

Now he had Rouge's full attention. She rolled her head back over and looked him dead in the eye; a look that clearly said, "You'll do WHAT exactly, Knucklehead? Hmm…?"

It took him a minute to collect his feeble thoughts and continue saying, "I'll pour a bucket of water over your head," triumphantly. He struck a bogus pose. Rouge's reaction to his threat threw him off, however. She released her death grip on the couch, rolled on her back and began laughing hysterically.

Knuckles' face turned redder than his fur. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY, BATGIRL?"

"It's just…" Peals of laughter. "…I can't believe…" Bursts of laughter. "…you would actually think…" More laughter. "…water could frighten…" Laughter. "M-me! I'm not _Sonic_…" She trailed off into a fit of giggles. She looked up just in time to see Knuckles' muzzle flash a dark purple. This, of course, just made her crack up again.

If the bat hadn't been a girl (and a very pretty girl at that) Knuckles' fist would have already introduced itself to her face. But since his usual reaction to anger was a serious fist pound on the perpetrator – and since he couldn't hit a girl – Knuckles just stood there, stiff as a board. And how exactly did Rouge react to his uncomfortable position? Well, duh, she just kept laughing! And this is how they spent the next half hour: Rouge doubled over with laughter and Knuckles too infuriated (and too reluctant) to pound her face in.

~ …XXX… ~

As Rouge and Knuckles "conversed", Tails and Cream found themselves babysitting little Rose on the beach. The young couple eagerly helped the little girl make a sand castle in the sand.

"…and then you put a flag on top," Tails finished proudly, placing a red flag on the high point of the sand castle. Of course, normally a sand castle made by a four year old, a six year old, and an eight year old would be simple and plain, but since it was Tails doing most of the work, it became practically a two story building. He flew back down to the sand and stood next to a blushing rabbit and a very intrigued hedgehog.

"Wow!" Rose exclaimed, for that was all she could say at the moment.

"Amazing," Cream breathed.

"Yup," Tails grinned, puffing out his chest proudly. "Let's go inside!" He then grabbed the two girls by their hands (making Cream's blush deepen and a blush of his own to form) and dragged them inside the 'castle'.

~ …XXX… ~

**(SONAMY ALERT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SONAMY, SCROLL DOWN. A LOT. :3)**

"Sonic, can you get the mixer?"

Sonic swooshed over to the counter, grabbed the spoon and swooshed back over to Amy, handing it to her in less than a second, receiving a grateful "thanks" from said hedgehog. She began to stir the contents in a bowl that sat in front of her.

Sonic stood behind her for a few moments, impatiently waiting as she stirred what would soon become a delicious batch of chilidog cookies (a recipe Amy made up). After a minute, he couldn't take the anticipation anymore and ended up asking frantically, "Is it done _yet_, Ames?"

The pink hedgehog giggled in reply. "_No_, Sonic, after this we have to shape the mix into little balls and place them on the cookie platter."

Sonic huffed. He couldn't stand the wait. He just wasn't a waiting kind of guy. When Amy had asked him if he wanted to help her bake the cookies for him, he had been ecstatic. That meant not only did he get to spend time with Amy, but he also got a mouthful of chilidog-flavored cookies in the end! He had enjoyed getting the ingredients for her and watching her lovely face turn from excited to shell-shocked to pleased when he measured everything and put it all in the bowl in less than five seconds. But now…now he had to _wait_? That was _NOT_ something Sonic could pull off easily. He tapped his foot. He checked the clock. He counted the seconds on the clock. He counted how many times he tapped his foot. He counted how many times the Amy's spoon went in a complete circle around the bowl. He watched how Amy's short pink quills swished back and forth slightly as she stirred. He bit his lip. _He_ _couldn't take_ _it!_

"_Amy!_" Sonic burst out.

Amy turned around, one eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

Sonic blushed at the eye contact, realizing how stupid he must have sounded, calling out her name so desperately like that. He looked away. "Nothing...never mind…forget it."

Amy stared at him curiously for a couple more seconds, wondering what that had been all about. But she just shrugged it off and continued stirring.

About ten seconds later, Amy withdrew the spoon from the bowl and tossed it into the sink. Sonic looked up hopefully. "Are you done?" he asked.

"Yep," she laughed. "Help me make the batter into little balls."

And he did.

About ten minutes later all the to-be cookies had been shoved into the oven and both Sonic and Amy sat down across from each other at Amy's kitchen table, once again, _waiting._

"What's with all this waiting stuff?" Sonic wondered anxiously. He couldn't believe Amy had so much patience when it came to these things.

"_Son_-ic," Amy tittered girlishly. "That's just life. You're gonna have to learn to wait if you want to get anywhere in life when you grow up and mature."

"Who says I'm not mature now?" Sonic shot back teasingly.

"You want a list?" Amy countered with a grin. "I'd be glad to name everyone

"Okay, I get it," Sonic interrupted her, pouting.

Amy punched his arm playfully. "Aww, c'mon, Sonic, you know I'm just messing with ya," she said. "You're more mature than _Charmy_."

"Gee, way to make a guy feel better."

Amy laughed again. "I'm kidding, Sonic! You're more grown up than you might think. And even though you _are_ kind of immature, that's one of the many,_ many_ reasons why I love you!"

Sonic flushed. He turned away for a second so she couldn't see his now reddening face. Of course, he couldn't let Amy know what she was reducing him to. Looking back at her, he struggled to keep his ego by saying back, "So if I just happened to mature one morning, you would stop chasing me and clinging to me all the time?" He had meant for this to be joke, but he didn't miss the unmistakable hurt that flashed in Amy's gorgeous emerald green eyes. Now it was her turn to blush and look away, but for completely different reasons.

"So that's what you want?" Amy whispered, her vision getting blurry. "You want me to go away and leave you alone?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no, Ames!" Sonic cried out, reaching over the table and grasping her hand, tenderly stroking it with his thumb. "That's not what I meant at all! You…you're one of my best friends, I'd _never _want you to go away!"

_'OMG, HE'S HOLDING MY HAND. AND HE WANTS ME TO BE WITH HIM __**FOREVER, **__HINCE HE SAID 'NEVER GO AWAY'. MAYBE THAT MEANS HE LIKES ME! EEK!'_ A hint of a smile forced its way up Amy's soft, peach muzzle. "Really?" she asked weakly, yet excitedly.

"Really, you're not going anywhere," he said with a wink. "I won't let ya. You're too special to me."

"Oh, Sonic! That's so sweet!" Amy sobbed happily, the tears she had been holding back cascading down her cheeks. She ran around the table and tackled Sonic to the ground, holding him close to her with her head on his chest. "I love you so much!"

His cheeks on fire now, Sonic slowly wrapped his shaking arms around her waist. At first he thought it would be awkward – hugging Amy while on the floor with her on top of him – but then he realized…it wasn't awkward at all.

~ …XXX… ~

"HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING?" Eggman roared. "I did _everything_ right. The forest, the rain, the pilot, the beasts… WHY ARE THOSE RATS STILL ALIVE AND HAVING FUN?"

"Why are you asking questions none of us can answer, sir?" asked none other than the sas-talking Robobot Butler 300.

Eggman whirled around so he was facing the robot with angry red eyes. "YOU."

"Yes, sir?"

"YOU PIECE OF SCRAP METAL!"

The robot rolled his eyes (he has eyes? O.o). "Thanks for the kind words, _sir_."

"IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOU'RE PARTS ATTACHED TOGETHER AS THEY ARE NOW, YOU MIGHT WANT TO START BEING USEFUL."

Robobot Butler 300 sighed. "Fine, sir, if you want to get rid of the Sonic Team, you're going to need to make something else happen that will scare them for good."

"I KNOW TH—"

"Let me finish, _sir!_ **(Whoa, it's one thing to sas back…but interrupting Eggman? This robot's got guts.)** What I mean is that all the bad things about the island are avoidable. The forest – don't go inside of it; the rain – go indoors; the pilot – Lisa; the beasts – don't go in the attic. You need to create a disaster that CANNOT be avoided. And if it can, it is _extremely hard_ to avoid."

Eggman stopped fuming and thought about that. The robot was _right_. All of the things he had planned could be easily side-stepped. With an IQ of 300, how was it he had missed that?

Eggman patted the robot on the head. "You're a smart one. If your plan works, I'm going to give you a promotion."

"But I already have the highest rank, sir."

"I'll get you a girlfriend."

"I'm not interested in girls, sir."

"I'll get you a _boyfriend_."

"Please _don't_, sir."

"I'll give you a raise."

"You don't pay me, sir."

"I'll START paying you."

"…no you won't. Sir…"

"Hmm…you're right. Then how about this…if your plan works, I WON'T kill you."

Pause.

"I think I'll take that raise, sir."

~ …XXX… ~

Meanwhile, back on the island, it was night time. Everyone had settled into their beds for the night. Even Sonic, who normally slept on rooftops, was asleep in his bed (he would have slept on the couch if it hadn't been infested with termites and worms). Who _knows_ what could happen outside at night! But if he _had_ slept outside, he would have noticed the helicopter hovering above the island. And inside of that helicopter, a hedgehog whose fur matched the color of night itself, stood in front of the hatch, a bright green chaos emerald in his right hand. His dark red eyes surveyed the landscape menacingly. And then without a second thought, he jumped out of the flying airship and landed with a soft _thud_ on the ground. He looked up just in time to see the helicopter flying away.

The black hedgehog walked around between the cabins. He looked inside the window of one. Since it was too dark to see, he pulled out night vision glasses and put them on. Peering inside, Shadow made out a dark blue hedgehog (dark blue because it's night) curled up in an old looking bed, his whole body wrapped up in the sheet and his arms wrapped around his pillow protectively. He was mumbling something in his sleep. All the black hedgehog could make out was "Amy" and "save".

"So, the faker has decided to take a vacation after all, huh?" the hedgehog said to himself. "They said he was here, but…" He stopped and looked around, having heard a rustling in the brush.

"Who's there?" His deep voice echoed through out the clearing.

The silence was deafening.

"Show yourself, you coward! Don't make me find you. I'm more merciless than you might think."

There was a pause. Then suddenly, the outline of a female bat pushed its way out of a nearby bush. The bat's arms were folded and her long black wings folded in so they looked smaller than they actually were.

The black hedgehog's hostility faded into annoyance. "Rouge, "he stated roughly. It was the closest to a friendly greeting he could get.

"Shadow," she said back in the same annoyed, deep tone of voice, almost like she was mocking him. He couldn't see it, but a smirk played at her lips.

"What are you doing here?" said the hedgehog, Shadow. It was more statement than question.

"I was just out on a midnight stroll when—"

"Not why you're _outside_, **bat**, I meant why are you HERE. As in…," he gestured towards the island itself. "Here."

"What, I'm not allowed to take a vacation with my friends?" Rouge laughed sarcastically.

"These aren't your friends."

An eyebrow rose. "Says who?"

"Says _you_. You never acted like you liked them in the least."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mr. I'm-so-emo-and-narcissistic-but-I-can-still-judge-other-people-for-what-they-do-with-their-lives." Shadow almost smiled. _Almost._

Rouge continued, "Who do you think you are, Hedgehog? If I want to be friends with the Egotistical Goof of a Hero, the Town Idiot, the Nerd, the Hothead with a Hammer, and the Polite-thing with her pet, I should be allowed to." Maybe it sounded a little rude the way she described her friends, but she was just trying to sound cool in front of Shadow. The emotionless hedgehog had that kind of effect on people. Honestly, Rouge saw all of them quite differently (even if the descriptions actually did fit their personalities). Sonic was both egotistical and a goofball, but he was still selfless, brave, and the Hero of Mobius; Knuckles…was an idiot…but Rouge still couldn't shake the fact that he was more than that to her; Tails was a genius, not a nerd, and certainly had proved he was courageous plenty of times; Amy was a strong, determined, flirty little hedgehog who did have a temper, but said temper usually only showed when something involved Eggman or Sonic being an idiot to her; and Cream was just a polite little girl who has an overprotective mom…same with Cheese.

Shadow turned away. "Whatever you say," he huffed with his eyes closed. "But in case you've forgotten, bat, we work for Eggman."

"Eggman? _Eggman?_ You still think that so-called 'mastermind' is going to tell you your past if you listen to him? You're _such_ an _idiot,_ Shadow! He's merely trying to get you to do whatever he wants, to be his little pet; his slave. You really want that? He's not going to tell you anything, Hedgehog. Trust me."

"You don't know anything," Shadow retorted. He started walking away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to complete."

"_Wait._"

Shadow felt something warm clasping his right arm. He sighed, but still turned around. Her grip made his hand loosen on the chaos emerald he had been hiding in his fist. The light from the emerald reflected off Rouge's face, showing off her delicate features and the worried expression etched on her face.

"Shadow…," Rouge struggled to say. She wasn't used to being a concerned friend, but lately…what with all the horror crap and Rose's appearance, she had found she had a soft side to her that she had kept hidden away for years upon years. "Shadow, you can't keep going on like this. If you want to find out your past you need to find it out _yourself_ instead of depending on someone else who's _hardly _trustworthy to display the details."

Shadow just stood there, stock-still. For a minute, Rouge thought she had gotten through to him. _'Is he actually considering what I just said…?'_

His lips pulled up in the corners slightly. "Since when have you been sensitive, bat?" Shadow smirked. "I always thought you're only interest was in jewels." He frowned again. "But my loyalty is to Eggman."

Rouge sulked. _'Almost had him,'_ she thought in defeat. _'At least I got him to smile, even if it was only for a second. He _never_ does _that_.'_

"Well, even if you're not going to take my advice," Rouge said, bringing back her normal personality, "you might as well tell me what this 'mission' is."

Shadow snorted. "It's nothing important. The G.U.N. wanted me to check out this island. I can't tell you anything besides that."

"Aww, you didn't get sent here by Eggman?" Rouge pouted teasingly. "I thought you worked for him, not the silly old G.U.N."

Now it was Shadow's turn to roll his eyes. "I've taken leave of Eggman for a little while. The G.U.N. called me for an assignment."

"Fine," Rouge frowned, annoyed. "Do want you want. Listen to a crazy, fat old man who wants to take over the world. Take orders from _my_ boss and not tell me all the details. Use _my_ emeralds." She eyed the chaos emerald in his hand enviously. "I don't care." Half irritated, half hurt; the bat turned on her heel and spread out her wings, preparing to take off.

Shadow sighed angrily. _'This girl is going to be the death of me…,'_ he thought. _'Oh wait, that's right. I can't die. I'm the Ultimate Life form. Ha.'_ "Rouge…"

She turned around. "What."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm…" _'I can't believe I'm doing this.' _"I'm supposed to investigate the island and try to determine what all the strange reports are about."

"Strange reports?" Rouge echoed. "Does that mean other people have been to this death trap of a vacation spot?"

Shadow grunted in response. "Too many to count…," he answered simply. "Those who actually survive leave on the first day. You guys are lucky to still be alive."

"Well that's encouraging," Rouge snorted. "We've survived the first week. Whoop de do."

"And you have another week to go," Shadow finished knowingly.

"How did you know that?"

"The G.U.N. knows more than you think."

"Do they know if I'm ever going to get Sonic to admit he's totally head over heels in love with Amy?" Rouge joked. She started to laugh and even Shadow couldn't resist a smirk. Everyone knew the cool blue hedgehog was crushing on Amy.

"I don't think anyone can predict when that will happen," Shadow grinned.

"Yeah, seriously," Rouge giggled, wiping away a tear. "But anyway, it was nice seeing ya, Shadow."

The black hedgehog grunted again. He wasn't used to all this friendship stuff and wasn't sure he really wanted it. But when he looked back at Rouge, for a minute he could have sworn she was replaced with a certain blonde female in a pretty blue dress. Shadow sucked in his breath in shock, blinked, and then saw the vision was gone. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "I'd better get to work."

"Where are you going to stay?"

He shrugged. "I'll find somewhere."

"Well, don't camp out in the forest," Rouge informed him. "Amy and I went in there for a couple minutes on the first day and I'm still having nightmares."

Shadow nodded. Then without a second glance, he turned and headed for the beach, leaving Rouge with her thoughts.

_'That hedgehog is so weird. Always so close-minded and…emo…I'm glad I was able to break the ice this time.' _The bat shrugged, turned, and flew off.

**Okay, so, I know it's not one of my best chapters yet, but I had to give you guys something. I just feel so bad about practically ditching you for half a year (oh dear, it sounds even worse when you put it that way D'X).**

**Well, I hope Shadow didn't seem too OOC…I kind of always pictured him and Rouge as good friends…our at least, as close as Shadow can get to someone (besides Maria…that's why I sort of mentioned her here x3).**

**But, yeah…Shadow was added 1) Because of the votes and 2) Because I feel bad.**

…**REALLY bad…**

**Can you forgive me? *puppy dog face***

**REVIEW! :D**


	5. Without a Trace

**Okay, I tried to make a quick update…still trying to make it up to you guys for the horribly long wait…**

**Here you go.**

Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega and the Sonic Team.

- Hazard Island -

4:00am. That was the time when Amy was awoken from her slumber. She had heard the footsteps outside her house even in her dream. Her eyes flashed open and she pulled up her covers, shivering.

"W-who's there?" Amy whispered with fear. There was no reply, just louder footsteps treading the ground that surrounded her house. This, of course, just made her freak out even more. Without a sound, the girl's socked feet grazed the floor as she lowered herself from her bed.

A crunch – a fairly loud crunch for that matter – sounded from right outside her window. Too terrified to think clearly, Amy flicked her wrist. Her hammer appeared in a poof of smoke in her hand and she held it out, waiting for another sound. Any sound. And then suddenly a tapping sound echoed through her room. With a battle cry, Amy swung her hammer with all her might, smashing whatever was standing out there.

"OW! AMY!"

Amy blinked. Her hammer was over her shoulder as if she was about to strike again. She stood as still as death. And then she saw him. Or…she saw his tails.

"Tails?" she croaked. Oh crap. She dropped her hammer, ran to the window and leaned out it. There lying with his face in the dirt was none other than the young kitsune himself.

"Oh sweet Mobius…Tails, I'm so sorry!" Amy squeaked, covering her face with her hands. "I've just been on my guard lately and I hit anything that moves, see? Please don't be mad! I'm so very, very _sorry_!"

Tails pulled himself off the ground and laughed weakly. "Don't worry about it, Amy. This island has got us all on our toes." He stood up and cracked his back. "Sonic hit me with a book when I woke him up and Knuckles punched me in the face." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

Amy gasped. "Are we all really that paranoid?" she wondered. "Man, this place is really screwing us up in the mind."

"Tell me about it."

"So anyway, what are you doing here?" Amy asked, feeling eager to change the subject. "You mentioned that you visited the others too?"

"Oh yeah, that's right," Tails said. "Rouge wants us all to meet on the beach."

"Wait…now?"

"Yes…now!"

"UGH!" Amy groaned, facepalming. "I just woke up! I'm still in my nightgown!" She glanced down at her white dress with all those embarrassing ruffles on the sleeves.

"Everyone else is still in their pajamas too," Tails shrugged. "C'mon!"

"But…but…"

"Amy, let's go!" Tails ordered. He leaned into the room, grabbed Amy's arm, and dragged her towards him. Amy yelped as she tumbled through the window and landed with a thud on the cool grass. She glared at Tails. He shrugged.

"I had to get you out somehow," Tails said as if it was normal to pull a girl out a window. "Now c'mon!" He quickly spun his two tails and flew off towards the beach.

Amy let out a loud groan. _'Someone better have died or Rouge is getting the beating of a lifetime for dragging me to the beach in my pajamas,' _she thought to herself and huffed.

~ …XXX… ~

Rouge's light blue eyes swept the group one last time. "Is everyone here?" she asked.

"Yes, Rouge," Amy seethed. "We're here, nightgowns and all."

"Yeah, Ms. Rouge," **(sorry about the "Mrs." thing from earlier)** Cream piped up. "I don't like standing here at 4 in the morning wearing nothing but a short, white dress." She tugged at her short sleeves desperately. "It's really cold out here."

"Sorry guys," Rouge apologized. "But this is important, okay?"

"Just get on with it, Batgirl!" Knuckles growled.

She sent him a pointed glare. "Hey! What did I say about that name?"

Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest defensively and turned up his nose, eyes closed. "Humph."

"I let you get away with calling me that TWICE yesterday, but today, uh, tonight…I'm putting my foot down, you hear!?" Rouge snarled. "You call me Rouge this instant!"

"Batgirl."

"UGH!" Rouge threw up her hands hopelessly. "FINE! Have it your way! I'll start calling you_ Knuckie_ again!"

Knuckles' eyes shot open. "You crazy bat!" he yelled. "Don't you _dare_!"

"Um, Rouge?" Tails asked, trying to get things back on track. "Could we…? You know…?"

"Oh right…," Rouge sighed. "Sorry, it's just _someone_ here doesn't know how to treat a _lady_." She sent Knuckles another glare. He wouldn't even look at her.

"Alright, I know he's going to kill me for telling you all this…but Shadow is here. He turned up tonight and I had to tell you all right away before he did anything."

"Wait, wait...hold on," Sonic said, his brow furrowed. "That _faker_ is here? Why in the world… How… What… HUH?"

"Shadow is _here_?" Amy asked. "But…but…" She grabbed Sonic's arm. "He scares me!" she growled. "That guy attacks us and then helps us, goes missing and loses his memory. Attacks us and then helps us and goes missing again! Who KNOWS what's going on inside his head?!"

"He must have a pretty messed up mind," Tails laughed. _'Just like us'_ "Poor guy…"

"Yeah, well, whatever," Rouge frowned. "He's here on a secret mission, so don't be surprised if you see him around."

Amy's jaw dropped. "THAT'S why you woke us all up at this sinful hour in the morning!?" she cried out. "To let us know that an unreasonable, psychotic, disturbed hedgehog showed up?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Rouge shrugged.

"UGH!" Amy groaned. "You could have just told us that when we woke up! I could have been SLEEPING right now! You know...what people _normally_ do at 4 in the morning?! And now everyone has seen my night clothes and what I look like without a headband –which isn't very attractive, mind you – and I don't even have any flipping SHOES on and…and…UGH!"

"Whoa, chill, Ames," Sonic chuckled, pulling her into a quick side hug. "We all feel your pain too you know. But if it makes you feel better I'll walk you back to your cabin." _'Why am I so desperate to see her happy again? Chaos, these weird new feelings I get around this girl are creeping me out!' _He watched Amy's annoyed expression brighten and his heart fluttered at her smile. _'Her smile is so cute… Gah! What am I thinking! Focus, Sonic, focus!'_

"Sonic?"

Sonic blinked. Had she spoken? What had he missed? "I'm sorry, Amy, repeat?"

"I said I'd love walk back with you," Amy said again. She was grinning widely.

"Oh, well, okay then!" Sonic grinned, acing cocky again. "Let's go!" He blushed – which he seemed to be doing a lot around Amy lately in his opinion – as she took his hand and led him back down the path.

"I should probably go too," Tails announced. He began to head down the same path as Sonic and Amy when he stopped and turned back around. "You coming, Cream?" He was holding out his arm for her to take, blushing.

Cream's cheeks reddened. "Y-yes, Mr. Tails," she stuttered. The little rabbit quickly jogged to catch up with him, slowing down to a walk once she had taken his arm.

"Please," Tails laughed. "You can cut the formalities, Cream. I'm just plain old Tails, Kay?"

"O-oh…okay…uh, Tails." He smiled at her and she returned it.

It was just Rouge and Knuckles on the beach now and neither would look at the other. Back to back, they continued to ignore each other and neither would suck up their pride and do anything about it, until…

"Rouge."

"What?" Rouge asked, shocked. She whirled around and stared at him with wide eyes.

"There," Knuckles sighed deeply, his back still facing her. "I called you by your name. Are you happy now?"

Rouge gaped. _'Did he just…?'_ A slow smile crept up her face.

'_Ugh, I can't believe I just did that,'_ Knuckles' mind groaned. _'I could have just walked away…I mean, I'm facing the cabins here…but no, I had to show her how much of a softy I can be… She probably hates me even more now for being nice.'_ He grimaced and braced himself for whatever she might throw at him.

To the echidna's surprise, he felt a feminine hand slip into his fairly large one. He looked up, his deep violet eyes confused when he saw Rouge there. Her smile was genuine and her eyes were unguarded and caring.

"Thanks," he heard her say gently.

"Uh…you're welcome," Knuckles replied, blushing.

Her smirk came back within an instant. "Now, are you going to walk me home or are you going to leave me here alone in the dark on a haunted island with a somewhat dangerous hedgehog wandering it aimlessly?" She raised an eyebrow.

Knuckles shuffled his feet around nervously. "I-I guess I could…w-walk you…halfway…maybe…or, uh…all the way…or…to, uh, your, um, yard…or…uh…" He let out a loud moan. "Man, I am so bad with words!"

Rouge laughed, squeezing his hand and pulling him forward as they began to walk. "C'mon, Knux," she said, making sure to call him by that nickname he didn't mind. "We can walk and you don't have to say a word. But, if you want…" She tilted her head upwards towards his face. "I could help you out with your talking problem…"

Knuckles' face turned the color of his fur. "U-uh…w-what do you mean by t-that?"

Rouge winked. "Stop by my place tomorrow and I'll teach you a few tricks."

"Um…"

"Oh c'mon, Knuckles!" Rouge snickered. "Don't tell me your afraid to have a little alone time with a _girl_."

"I'm not!" Knuckles said stubbornly. "Fine, I'll do it. Just…just tell me when to be there."

"Any time is good for me, Knuckles," Rouge said seductively and was_ thrilled_ when he blushed again. _'Dang, why do I love making this guy blush so much?'_ she thought. _'Could I actually…_feel something_ for this block head…?'_ The bat held her head. _'No! This isn't possible! I can't l-l…l-lo…no…no! I can't…I _cannot_…no…'_

"Rouge…?" Rouge lifted her head to look with glazed eyes at the very confused Knuckles who must have noticed her inner turmoil. "Are you okay?"

Rouge laughed weakly. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just…thinking is all…"

He nodded, still feeling unsure but deciding not to say anything else.

_'Could I really love Knuckles?'_

~ …XXX… ~

Shadow looked around as he carelessly walked among the sandy paths of the island with his hands behind his back. He wasn't sure what time it was, but the sun was coming up, so he could guess. He peeked at the forest in the distance suspiciously.

"There is definitely something wrong there," Shadow said to himself, already sensing the corruption from within even from where he was standing.

Suddenly, a piercing scream that could have re-deafened an already deaf person filled Shadow's ears. The black hedgehog spun around to face the direction he'd heard the scream. He realized he was looking at the cabins.

"That was definitely a girl," Shadow told himself. "No guy screams like that."

_'Rouge wouldn't have screamed…I know that much. Who are the other girls again? Right…the pink-head and the rabbit. But which one was it?'_ he took off for the cabins.

As soon as Shadow was among the small houses, he looked inside each window, trying to determine who lived where. _'Let's see…Knuckles…'_ He moved on to the next one.

'_Okay…Rouge.'_

'_Tails…'_

'_Faker...but I already knew that.'_

He stopped as he looked into the house next to Sonic's. The bedroom was deserted and the window was broken, glass shards sprinkling the ground. He quickly jumped inside. Who lived here? Was it Cream or Amy?

Shadow froze when he saw a picture of Sonic and Amy standing together on the dresser and a pink blanket on the mattress.

"Amy."

~ …XXX… ~

Sonic groaned as he woke up four hours after Rouge had woken everybody up. _'Why did I wake up? Was it the sunlight?'_ He pulled the covers over his head, but what difference did it make? The sheets were white and the light just crept through. _'Ugh… Why did I insist on bringing nothing? I could have brought a darker sheet. Then again, I'm lucky to even have a sheet…it's thanks to Amy having a spare that I'm warm tonight.'_ He rolled off the bed, awkwardly landing on his stomach as his body hit the floor. The blue hedgehog gripped onto the top of his dresser for support and started pulling himself to his feet.

"HEY!" a deep voice boomed throughout the room. "FAKER! GET UP!"

Sonic nearly jumped out of his fur at the sound. Already in a fighting pose, he turned to face the window where he'd heard the noise. Shadow was standing there and he looked angry.

"You…_you _are the faker!" Sonic yelled back. "Don't you call me that, you…you...you _imposter_!"

"Listen, Faker, I don't have time for this," Shadow growled, waving him off. "And apparently…neither do you."

Sonic relaxed his ready-to-punch-something fists. "What are you talking about?" he spat out.

"Maybe if you were actually a hero," Shadow sneered. "You would have heard your girlfriend scream a few minutes ago."

That was it. That was the one thing – the _one thing_ – he could have said to drive Sonic insane. With a petrifying roar that could make a rock die of fear Sonic lunged for the black hedgehog. They both landed on the outside of the house, Sonic on top of Shadow, pinning his hands down.

"WHERE IS AMY?!" Sonic shouted furiously, his eyes already turning red.

Shadow wasn't even attempting to get out of Sonic's grip. "You think I know?" he scoffed. "All I heard was her cry for help and when I got to her house she was gone." He smirked. "Some hero you are. You let whatever happened happen to her and you didn't even try to save her."

Sonic released his grip on Shadow's wrists. He stood up, his face etched with worry. Without a word, he took off into the wind, leaving Shadow on the ground.

_'Chaos… Why didn't I wake up?'_ Sonic thought regretfully. _'I could've saved her! For the love of Mobius, I live right next to her!' _He realized that he was in front of Amy's house now, standing outside her front door. His fist lifted automatically to knock when he remembered she wouldn't be there to answer it. His eyes squeezed shut and he clenched his teeth. _'She's really gone…isn't she…?'_ Sonic turned the knob – which was surprisingly unlocked – opened the door, and stepped inside.

The house was dark. Probably because Amy had been taken (he grimaced at the word) before she woke up. Or had she been awake? She was obviously up when she vanished or she wouldn't have screamed. If she screamed, did that mean she had been kidnapped, attacked, or just plain out disappeared? He found himself in the kitchen.

"Oh no…" Sonic turned away, the memories of his day with Amy yesterday crashing back. He winced as he remembered himself saying that he would never let her go anywhere. It was basically a promise to keep her safe and to be her friend (or more…?) forever. _Already_ he'd broken it. _Already_ he'd failed to keep her safe and it _killed_ him.

"Oh, man… Amy!" Sonic cried out, falling to his knees. He pounded the ground with his balled up fists. "Amy, I'm sorry!" The blue hero felt a sting in his eyes. "Ames…Ames…please, no…" He shook his head wildly. "Amy...Amy, please no! Please...Ames..._my_ Ames..." A drop of water splattered on the cold tile. How could it be raining indoors? Another drop fell. Sonic wiped his cheek and was astonished to find it wet. _'I'm…I'm crying…?'_ Well that was a first.

Pulling himself upright, Sonic left the kitchen and speed-walked to the bathroom. Once he was in there he looked at his face. Yep. He was crying all right. Ugh. _Not_ a good look for a hero-hog. Quickly, he snatched a washcloth Amy must have packed from under the sink and ran it under the faucet before washing his face. When he looked back up at his reflection he didn't look any better so he just gave up, throwing the cloth at the bathtub and leaving the room.

Sonic walked into Amy's room. There was glass all over the floor and the hole in the window was so big, an Eggman robot could have fit through it.

_An Eggman robot…_

Could Eggman be behind this? It was possible… But how did he know they were on this island? The guy was kind of a stalker, following them around and such, but… How could he have even known where they were vacationing? They had worked hard to keep the whole thing from getting out to the media. The people of the plane were the only ones who knew they were coming. And that was just the pilot, the co-pilot, and the people who worked on the plane.

Shaking off the thought, Sonic looked over at Amy's bed. The blanket was all rumpled up. 'Amy always makes her bed right when she gets up. She must have been attacked in bed.' Sonic studied the floor for footprints of any kind. They all had two monsters in their attic with one eaten (they had all checked after the whole incident last time)…could the monster have gotten loose? No, there would have been tons of dirt everywhere, those things were nasty. It had taken all day to clean up Knuckles' house.

His jade eyes drifted to the photograph on her dresser. It was untouched. He picked it up and gazed at it sadly, feeling the sting in her eyes again. The photo was of him and Amy at last years Christmas Party. She had asked Sonic to take a photo with her making funny faces and he had immediately agreed. Amy had been pulling her lips away from each other and sticking her tongue out while Sonic was giving her bunny ears and pulling down his bottom eyelid. Sonic's hands shook as he held the photo.

"I need to find her," the blue hedgehog said stubbornly. "No matter what it takes, I _will _find Amy." He set the photo back down with the utmost care and took off out of the house, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

**Ugh. Cliffhanger time…**

**Don't you just hate them? Don't worry; I'm going to start working on chapter 6 RIGHT AWAY.**

**As in…NOW.**

**No kidding, it's already started! Ha, ha, ha! **

**Sonic! Amy! Take over! …oh wait that's right…Amy's missing.**

**Sonic: I don't have time for this! I have a girl to find!**

**Me: Fine. Go off and have fun looking for your girlfriend.**

**Sonic: _Thank_ you… Hey, wait! She's not my girlfriend!**

**Me: Yet…**

**Sonic: *blushes* I-I gotta go, bye! *takes off***

**Me: Whatever, Hedgehog... *turns to audience* Thanks for reading! Review please! ;D**


	6. A Rescued Rose

**Still trying to make it up to you guys, so this chapter is LONGGGG…:')**

**ALERT: BIG SONAMY SCENE BELOW. ;***

**Tailseam comes later in the story. Now there are only scattered bits and pieces.**

**Knouge? Not much…maybe a little…okay a lot a little…but there is LOTS in the NEXT chapter! ^^**

**Just saying…**

**Oh, and Shadow isn't in this chapter. But he plays a big part in the next chapter as well.**

**I think…**

**Whatever, here's what you've all been waiting for.**

**:)**

Disclaimer: Screw this. Just go back to the first five chapters if you really care that much.

- Hazard Island -

"Tails!" Sonic cried, shaking his sleeping best friend. "Wake up, buddy! Please, it's an emergency!"

Screaming like a maniac, Tails shot up out of bed like a rocket and hit Sonic on the head with a wrench. Sonic grunted in pain. "OW! What was that for?"

Tails blinked in surprise. "Oh, sorry, Sonic. You know how this island keeps us on our toes. I sleep with my wrench." He shrugged. "Whatever. Consider this payback from you hitting me with a BOOK."

Sonic chuckled nervously. "Oh yeah...sorry..."

"So what's this about an emergency? Has someone died?"

"Not yet…," Sonic mumbled more to himself than to Tails. He looked ashamed.

Tails' eyes widened with disbelief and dropped his wrench. "Wait…what happened?"

Sonic's lower lip trembled and he turned away, hiding his face from view. "Amy's missing…," he whispered. He sounded sad and hollow, completely not like the Sonic Tails knew.

"Amy's missing?" Tails echoed. Sonic cringed. It was bad enough to say it, but hearing it cut him to the core. "How did this happen, Sonic? _When_ did this happen? She was with us on the beach!"

"I-I don't know…" Sonic's voice cracked. "I was a-asleep…I didn't wake up…I didn't hear her scream…" He sniffed and Tails wondered if his older brother – who used to swear he would never ever, ever cry – was actually crying. The fox had always had a hunch that Sonic had a soft spot for Amy. "B-b-but Shadow heard her…," the broken hedgehog continued. "He told me so himself and…and he told me when he'd arrived at her house…she…she was…gone." Sonic let out a ragged breath. "Tails, I failed… What kind of a hero am I?" He sniffed again.

"Sonic…" Tails reached out and touched his arm. The no longer cocky hedgehog turned to look at the fox. Sure enough, there were tears streaming down his face.

"Sonic," Tails said again. "No…no, you didn't fail. These things happen."

Sonic whimpered, covering his face with his hands. "But I did fail, Tails. I p-promised her I'd keep her safe! I promised!" He let out a sob. "I could have saved her! Chaos, what if she's dead? What if something horrible happened to her?! Tails, what do I do?"_ 'I can't believe what I've done… And just when I was starting to find out how I feel about her…'_

Tails scratched the top of his head, deep in thought. "Well, have you searched the whole island yet?"

Sonic's head bobbed up and down frantically. "Every inch of it…except the forest of course."

"Do you think she might be in there?"

Sonic's eyes dilated. He began to shake. "N-n-no…Amy just couldn't… she COULD NOT…be…in THERE!" Mental images of Amy in those horrifying woods haunted his mind. The poor girl huddled in a clearing, surrounded by what seemed like endless, endless trees; hearing vociferous screams all around her, filling her delicate ears with their horror and her covering them, desperately trying to block out the noise; the stench overpowering her brain and the lightheadedness making her feel woozy and weak…so weak. He shuddered and forced himself to push the images out of his head. "But if she is…"

"Are you going back in there?" Tails asked worriedly. As a victim to the forests' nightmarish features, he didn't think it possible the Sonic could actually be considering stepping back into its unwelcoming vicinity.

Sonic's eyes closed and he sighed. _'It's time to grow up, Sonic,'_ he thought to himself. His eyes shot back open.

"Yes…for Amy."

~ …XXX… ~

"Okay, Knuckles," Rouge began. "Let's begin, shall we?"

"I thought we were going to do this tomorrow," Knuckles wondered, looking puzzled. "Why did you drag me over here today?"

"Because I couldn't wait," Rouge explained simply. "Now…can we begin?" She smiled at him to make him feel more comfortable. She wanted him to see the real her, and not what she pretended to be; a flirty girl who's guarding her heart from breaking.

"Uh…s-sure…," Knuckles mumbled. The smile was encouraging for him, but he was still nervous as heck.

"Alright, first off," Rouge said with authority. "Never say 'uh', okay? 'Uh', 'um', and 'er' all make you sound like you don't know what you're talking about and that makes people look down on you. You don't want that. Also, you shouldn't ever stutter, Kay?" **(Don't listen to her advice, people. It's stupid, I know.)**

"Uh, okay."

"There it is again," Rouge pointed out patiently. "Don't say 'uh'! It makes you sound uncertain."

"I am uncertain."

"Well, you shouldn't be," Rouge laughed. "I know what I'm doing and when you talk, you should sound like you know what you're doing too."

"Okay." Knuckles seemed to be catching on and that made Rouge's heart burst with pride. She was getting through to him! She smiled at him and he returned it instantly.

"Cool," Rouge grinned, blushing a faint pink. "So let's try a conversation. Pretend I just walked in. Hi, Knuckles! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine," Knuckles responded without thinking. "I'm learning how to talk."

"No, Knuckles," Rouge groaned with exasperation. "We're pretending it's just a normal day and I stopped by." If there was one thing Knuckles was known for, it was being brutally honest.

"But…this is your house," Knuckles said, blinking with confusion. "And plus, you don't normally—"

"Ugh, fine!" Rouge cried out, giving up. "Let's say it IS your house and SONIC stopped by—"

"ROUGE, KNUCKLES!" Sonic yelled, bursting in. "Guys, I need…" He trailed off; just then realizing Knuckles was in Rouge's house. He smirked and leaned against the wall casually. "Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't interrupt anything…did I?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Both Knuckles and Rouge blushed. Sonic was used to Knuckles blushing, but Rouge? This was something he could get into after they found Amy.

"No, you didn't," Rouge said, forcing herself to swallow her embarrassment and keep her cool. She couldn't start stuttering and saying "uh" and "um" now right after she'd worked so hard to teach Knuckles that it made you sound bad. "What'cha need, Big Blue?"

Now it was Sonic's turn to hide his embarrassment. However, he wasn't nearly as good at it as Rouge. "W-well, uh, it seems Amy sorta, um…went m-missing this morning and, uh…"

Knuckles whispered something in Rouge's ear ("I think he just broke, like, 15 of your rules in one sentence."), causing her to snicker. Rouge whispered something back ("Maybe I should start teaching him as well… He might need it."), and he laughed too.

Sonic blinked at the exchange, irritated. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?" he asked angrily. "Or is your love life more important than Amy's life in general?"

Knuckles' eyes widened. "Wait…what?" Knuckles saw himself as Amy's older brother and, even though he wasn't as overprotective as he should be, he still cared for her. They didn't always get along, what with both of their short tempers, Amy's bubby attitude and Knuckles' obliviousness, but those things just made them closer.

On the other hand, Rouge was only Amy's friend, and not a very close one at that. She preferred teasing over worrying any day. "Why do defensive over the girl all of a sudden, huh, Big Blue?" Rouge smirked. "Her disappearance make you realize the old saying 'you don't know what you got until it's gone' was true?"

Sonic blushed furiously. "I can worry about Amy all I want, okay, Bat?" he growled. "Right now, all I'm asking for is a little backup for when I search the forest and all you can do is joke around like Amy's life doesn't matter at all!"

Rouge threw up her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry if I struck a nerve, Hero," she scoffed. "But what's this I hear? You're going back into that dreadful forest just to save precious little Amy's life? What if she's not in there?"

"She has to be in there!" Sonic insisted. "That's the only place I haven't searched."

Knuckles stood up. "I'll back you up," he said firmly. "Amy's like my little sister and I won't let anything happen to her if I can help it."

Rouge was shocked at his sudden change in personality. Had not this same echidna just been sitting here with her, cracking jokes and acting like the only thing he cared about was her? The 'sister' comment kept Rouge from feeling jealous of the possibility that Knuckles might like Amy (which he didn't, doesn't, and never will by the way), but she still couldn't help but hate that he was so willing to just leave their little session to save Amy. But if he was going, then by Chaos, so was she.

"I'll be right there, ready to fly you out," Rouge vowed with a false smile that felt pasted on.

Sonic returned the smile, except his was genuine. "Thanks."

~ …XXX… ~

Sonic shivered as he stood right outside the forest. Already there was that bone-chilling aura disturbing him. He rubbed his arms for warmth.

"C'mon, Hero," Rouge taunted, "don't tell me you're scared. And here I thought you're only weakness was water."

Sonic flushed. "This place gives me the creeps, Rouge," he admitted. "The only reason I'm even this close to the forest is the possibility of Amy being in there."

"Well, I'm going in now. Nothing scares me, not even a stupid little haunted forest," Knuckles frowned. They looked at him in surprise. It took a second for them to remember that the confident echidna hadn't yet experienced the horrors that dwelled within.

"Right behind you," Sonic choked out, a wobbly grin forming on his face.

"Then let's go!" Rouge cheered. Inwardly, she was terrified of stepping back into the place. Having been in it before, she knew exactly what went on in there and knew exactly how scary it was. But of course, the bat was too prideful to admit her fear and acted as if the adventure excited her.

Sonic was the first to step inside the forest. As soon as he had, he heard the scream of an old woman and stiffened.

"Sonic, Amy's not going to save herself," Knuckles barked. He pushed the frozen hedgehog further inside. "Let's go!"

Moments later, the three found themselves walking through the trees, calling Amy's name.

"AMY!" Sonic yelled. "AMES, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"AMY!" Knuckles called, his hands cupping his mouth. "ANSWER US!"

_'Funny,'_ Rouge thought. _'I seem to recall doing something exactly like this about a week and a half ago.'_ "PINKY!" she screamed. "IF YOU CAN HEAR US, SAY SOMETHING!" Her answer was another scream, or more of a cry. It was a baby boy she guessed and winced at the thought of an infant meeting its fate so early in life.

Suddenly, they heard another scream, but this one was different. It was girlish, high-pitched…Amy-like.

Sonic seemed to notice it first. "That was Amy!" he cried. Without giving them time to blink, he grabbed Knuckles' arm with one hand and Rouge's with the other and took off at a tremendous speed towards it.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Knuckles demanded, sounding shocked.

"If I'm thinking clearly, these screams we keep hearing are the echoes of the screams of people who died, or survived, in this forest," Sonic explained. "If Amy's scream is here, so is Amy."

_'Well what do you know,'_ Rouge thought._ 'Big Blue has a brain after all.'_

Knuckles and Rouge toppled forwards when Sonic came to an abrupt halt. Their faces landed right in the blood and muck littering the dirt and when Rouge lifted her head and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a skull facing her, the top cracked open. She yelped and grabbed onto Knuckles' arm, ignoring his surprised expression.

"Listen for her scream again. It was recent," Sonic ordered.

"Sonic, if it's an echo like you said, we're not going to—"

There it was, off in distance, but a lot closer than last time. The scream sounded exactly the same as the last one, still Amy, Sonic was sure of it. Instantly, he grabbed their arms again – just as they were pulling themselves off the ground – and took off in its direction.

Minutes later, Sonic stopped at nowhere in particular. "She's near us," he said, completely sure of himself. "Very near."

"And how exactly do you know this, Hero?" Rouge spat, wiping herself of the gunk on her clothes. "Ugh, this blood is never going to come out!"

"Can you guys just trust me?" Sonic said. "I know Amy is here, okay?" He turned back to the woods, forcing himself not to think about the skeletons on the ground and the blood smeared on the trees. "It's like…I can feel when she's close to me. Like I can sense when she is within my reach. How do you think I always knew where to go when Eggman would kidnap her? My legs told me where to run and their judgment was never wrong." The blue hedgehog looked back at his friends with determination illuminating his large eyes. "I know Amy is here. I know it."

Rouge and Knuckles stood there, stunned, watching the world-wide hero with wide, un-blinking eyes. Slowly, Rouge leaned in towards Knuckles and whispered, "I think that was a pretty good example on the basics of talking." He nodded without hesitation.

Sonic blushed, realizing everything he'd just said. "U-uh…," he stammered. "I have no idea why I just said that."

As if sensing the awkwardness, another Amy-scream pierced their ears, coming directly from their left. Silently, Sonic thanked Amy for the distraction and took off in its direction, leaving Knuckles and Rouge in his dust to catch up on their own.

Sonic stopped when he found himself in an open clearing. "Amy?" he called out hopefully. The clearing was empty, but Amy was there. He knew it. She had to be. "Amy, where are you?"

Suddenly, something struck Sonic from behind, knocking him to the ground, taking him by surprise. Immediately, the blue hedgehog hopped to his feet, taking on a fighting position. Standing before him was a 10 foot tall robot. Yes, that's right. Sonic the Hedgehog was just knocked to the ground by a robot. Of course, it was quite a dangerous-looking robot now that he could see it. It was dark red a yellow stripe going around its middle and not only was it towering over Sonic's head, but it had a drill for a hand and a gun in its belt. Sonic snorted, unimpressed, and crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly.

"So, old Eggy is behind this whole thing!" Sonic smirked cockily. "Was I right or was I right? C'mon, I deserve some applause here!" The robot was silent.

"Aw, not even a peep?" Sonic cooed with a grin. "What…did my awesomeness render you speechless? Well fine then. If you don't wanna talk, we could just fight. I mean…ya did attack me from behind, which may I say was kind of cheating since I couldn't see ya." He took on a fighting position again. "Well, enough talk. Let's go!"

Sonic's spin-dashed it right in its middle, knocking it backwards a few steps. The robot's large non-drill hand swept over its belt and grabbed the gun. Bam! Bam! Sonic dodged both lasers with ease, running off in a blue streak. The robot's head swiveled back and forth with confusion, trying to locate the fast-footed hedgehog.

"Over here!" Smack! The robot staggered from a kick to the head. A moment later Sonic took him down again by zooming between his legs, causing the robot to reach for him and tumble forward from being off balance. Unfortunately, the robot just rolled head over heels and then ended up back on his feet again. It turned around and lunged for Sonic with its drill. Sonic swiftly jumped out of the way and the robot got its drill stuck in the ground.

"Ya know, it was kind of low of you to attack me in a haunted forest," Sonic conversed carelessly, watching the robot struggle to pull its stuck hand drill out of the ground. "I mean, the kind of crap that goes on in here wouldn't affect you, you're a robot. But me…" The robot aimed its laser gun at Sonic's head and fired, obviously done with his constant chatter. Sonic stepped to the left and it hit the tree behind him.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Sonic scolded brashly. "Ya could have blown my brains out." The robot stared at him. "Right…that was the idea, I get it."

Sonic yawned. "Well, I guess I'd better start picking it up, eh? I got things to do, girls to save...the usual."

The robot tore its arm out of the ground and lunged for Sonic angrily, its beady red eyes hungry for revenge. Drill flashing in the sunlight, the machine wanted to bore through Sonic's head. But of course, Sonic was prepared for such an attack. Crouching back, the hedgehog curled himself into a ball and pounced. He sliced right through the robot's arm like a knife cuts through butter. The drill fell to the ground helplessly. Sonic landed on his feet, one hand on his knee. Without giving the robot time to react, he spin-dashed at the robot again, using all his strength possible. The blue blur slashed right through its middle, creating a huge hole that sparked electricity. Sonic covered his head as the robot exploded. He grinned.

"Now that that's taken care of," Sonic sighed with relief. "Where's Amy?" For a second, his eyes drifted back to the heap of robot parts behind him and a horrible thought plagued his mind. What if Amy was in that robot? Sonic shook his head. No. She couldn't have been…

_'Don't torture yourself, Sonic,'_ he thought urgently. _'Just keep looking.'_

"AMY!" Sonic bellowed into the trees. "AMY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

No response. All he could hear was the rustling of the wind in the trees, the screams of the dead, and the faint muffled noises from above.

Wait…_faint muffled noises_?

Sonic looked up. There, way, way, WAY up high, tied up with thick green vines and hanging upside down with her short pink hair swishing in the breeze, was Amy. A huge smile burst onto Sonic's face and his heart fluttered.

"Amy!" the blue hedgehog cried out joyously. Without hesitating, Sonic took off towards the tree she was tied the nearest to and ran up it. He perched on a broad branch that spread out just enough for him to get to her. He crawled along the branch carefully and sat with his legs on each side when he was close enough to touch her. He quickly reached out and tore the gag out of her mouth.

"Puh! Puh!" Amy spat, her face scrunching up in disgust. "Here's some advice, Hedgehog. NEVER try and eat these vines." She stuck out her tongue. "Nasty."

"Oh, Ames," Sonic laughed, his arms wrapping around her – or, uh, the vines I should say. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"That's great, now that we've cleared up how alive I am, how about untying me?" Amy asked sarcastically, her eyes twinkling with humor.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Sonic stammered self-consciously, retracting his hands from around her and using them to undo the vines. As soon as she was free, Sonic pulled her into his lap so she wouldn't fall.

Amy blushed at the close contact. "You know," she began with a smirk. "That was really sweet of you to hug the vines. But how about you save those for me instead of my captors, eh?"

Sonic chuckled. "As you wish, my lady," he joked. He pulled her into a REAL hug this time. Amy giggled and hugged him back gently.

"What's really funny is that on our first day here, you and Rouge were the ones who saved ME from here," Sonic said humorously, his head resting on her shoulder. "Now it's me, Rouge, and Knuckles who save YOU." Amy rolled her eyes but couldn't fight back the grin creeping up her muzzle

"You know…it was really scary being here all alone," Amy admitted, biting her lip. "I had to listen to those screams and smell those smells and…well, they couldn't force me to look at the sights, but that didn't make it any easier not to." She buried her head in his warm, furry chest as another scream sounded. "I was so scared. I thought you weren't going to come save me because I was here, you know? I was here, in the forest, and I know how much the forest affected you last time…"

"Hey…" Sonic's voice was low and tender and a shiver ran down Amy's spine. He cupped her face and looked her in the eyes. "You know I wouldn't leave ya here, or anywhere else." He smiled caringly. "I would never let anything happen to you, I care you much about you. Kay, Ames?"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Sonic said softly. "You…if I had a list about all the people I care about, I swear, Ames…you'd be on the top of it."

"You mean, right before Tails?" Amy asked.

With a lopsided grin, Sonic said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Amy sucked in her breath sharply. _'He cares about me more than Tails? Who would have guessed…?'_ "But…why?"

Sonic scratched the back of his head nervously, not really liking where this was going. HE didn't even know where this was going. Sonic the Hedgehog never really thought about these kinds of things, let alone talk about them to his friends. He normally just tried to run them off whenever he would start thinking too much, especially about things like this.

Like his feelings for Amy Rose.

"Eh…," Sonic struggled to say. "Honestly, I guess it's because…well, uh, maybe…" He cleared his throat. "You're a close friend, Amy…and, uh, I've known you for a while…a LONG while…"

Amy snorted. "Yeah, like 5 or 6 years…," she laughed. "Is that long enough for you?" She shut up after receiving a glare from Sonic.

"But anyway," Sonic mumbled. "I…I don't really know why I care about you so much, Amy. I just know that whenever you're in danger…like today for instance…I'll stop at nothing to save you. Not even my fears are able to hold me back. You know that."

Amy smiled. "Yeah," she whispered. Her eyes were vacant as if she was remembering something.

"Yo, Ames!" Sonic snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Come back, Amy!"

"W-what…?" Amy asked, blinking rapidly. "Oh, I'm sorry…" She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I kind of spaced out there, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Sonic laughed. "But, um…back to what I was saying…" He gulped. "I really do care for you, Ames…okay? So don't start thinking I won't save you because you know I always will."

"Always?" Her eyes gleamed with hope.

He smiled. "Always…"

And that's when they realized just how close their heads were, Sonic's nose lightly brushing Amy's. Without thinking, Sonic started leaning forward. Excitedly, Amy leaned in slowly too. Their eyes began to close…their hearts pounded loudly….their cheeks turned a deep scarlet.

"SONIC! AMY!"

Sonic and Amy jumped apart and Amy would have fallen off the branch if Sonic hadn't grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. They looked down to see Knuckles and Rouge. Knuckles hadn't seen their almost-kiss, as he was checking out the robot with interest, but Rouge wasn't as oblivious.

"Are you lovebirds going to stay up there all day?" Rouge asked saucily. "Or are ya gonna help us inspect this robot?"

_'DANG IT, ROUGE!'_ Amy's mind complained furiously. _'You just HAD to barge in, didn't you?'_

"We're coming!" Sonic called down, trying to hide his reddening muzzle. He turned to Amy, who was just as embarrassed as he was but still cursing Rouge in her head, picked her up and started running down the tree. He halted when they were standing in front of Rouge and then he placed Amy on her feet.

"What'cha need, Rouge?" Sonic asked. He rubbed his nose in a futile attempt to act normal.

"Well first off," Rouge sighed tiredly. "We need to find out what a robot's doing on an island, or should I say our island." Sonic and Amy nodded. "Knuckles here is going through it to find any—"

"Hey, you guys! Look at this…"

Everyone crowded around the spot where Knuckles was pointing. In the middle of the rubbish, standing out like a beacon, was a bright red chaos emerald.

"A chaos emerald…?" Sonic blinked. "But how did it get here?"

"Who knows?" Amy grunted moodily.

"You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Shadow…," Sonic joked.

"Do I look like a black and red hedgehog to you who probably cuts himself and cries over a little dead girl every night?" Amy shot back.

"…yes."

The two hedgehogs stared at each other for a second before bursting out laughing. Amy doubled over, holding her stomach as tears ran down her face. Sonic leaned against Amy's shoulder, trying to support himself. Rouge snorted at the scene. When they finally calmed down slightly, the bat raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you two quite finished?" Her answer was a mixture of giggles and their consent.

"Ahem," Knuckles went on, ignoring the jealousy crawling up inside him._ 'I can't really be jealous of Sonic and Amy, can I?'_ "Anyway, I saw something else in here a moment ago I think you'll find interesting as well." He began to dig through the robot parts scattered around, trying to find what he was going to show them.

"Aha! There it is." It was…an Eggman symbol. The symbol was printed on the inside of the robot clear as day.

"I was so right…," Sonic confirmed. He said nothing else; just kept staring at the character angrily.

"But the question is: how much is he involved?" Amy pointed out.

"Amy, do you still have that ticket you got off the internet with you?" Rouge asked.

Amy nodded. "It's in my cabin." She winced as another dreadful scream hit the air. "Can we go now? I don't much like this place, if ya know what I mean."

Knuckles swiped the emerald out of the rubbish and shoved it in his dreads for safekeeping. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

"Rouge, can you fly all three of us?" Amy questioned the bat skeptically.

"…no."

"Don't worry," Sonic grinned. "I can get Amy out of here. Rouge can carry Knuckles." He smiled at Amy and she returned it brightly.

"What?!" Knuckles complained. "No way am I gonna be CARRIED out of here!"

"Then how are you gonna get out, huh?" Rouge said with a grin.

"I can fly too."

"When was the last time you flied, eh?" Rouge snickered. "Admit it; you need me to fly ya out."

Knuckles pouted, knowing she was right. "Fine…," he gave up reluctantly. "Just don't…you know…carry me the way Sonic carries Amy…"

Sonic blushed. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"I mean, you carry her like she's your BRIDE," Knuckles countered. He picked up Rouge to demonstrate, missing her squeak. "It's called 'bridal style' for a reason." When he placed Rouge back on her feet everyone was staring at him. "What? I'm not as stupid as you all think, okay? I know some things…"

Sonic's blush deepened. "Well, I'm not going to carry her on my back when I save her, or over my shoulder. People would look up her dress." Amy smacked him on the arm, a blush of her own forming. "Hey, it's true!" the blue hedgehog defended.

"Whatever, Sonic…," Knuckles said, shrugging. "I was just laying out the facts. Don't even try and deny that I'm right."

Avoiding having to answer, Sonic scooped Amy off her feet (bridal style xp) and into his arms. "I'm out of here. See you two later." He took off in a hurry, leaving Knuckles and Rouge in a layer of dust. When the smoke cleared, he was long gone.

"Let's just hope he went the right way," Rouge sneered.

Knuckles chuckled. "Holy Chaos, what if he just went deeper into the forest? That would be hilarious!"

"But then we'd have to get them out," Rouge groaned playfully.

"Ugh," Knuckles grimaced. "I'd rather not come back in here. We'll send Shadow after them."

Rouge cackled. "Like he would actually go and help Sonic. He hates him!" They both shared a moment of laughter before an awkward silence began…until a far off scream ended it.

"I guess we should go then…," Rouge coughed nervously.

"Yeah…," Knuckles approved. "That is, unless you want to stay here in this WONDERFUL place." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"I think I'd prefer our cabins," Rouge smirked. "Alright, let's fly you out." The bat slowly wrapped her arms around Knuckles' middle from behind and spread out her wings.

"No one had batter be there watching when we get back," Knuckles growled. His cheeks were redder than balls of fire.

"If they are, we'll kick them clear back to Earth."

"Agreed."

Rouge lifted them both up a few inches. "Man, you're light!" she gaped. "With all that muscle, I'd always thought you'd be totally heavy!"

Knuckles puffed out his cheeks. "It's not something I'm proud of…but Tails had to lift me and Sonic up way back then somehow…"

Rouge chortled. "Well, I must say, I'm not hating how light you are right now." She looked up as they reached the top of the trees.

At first Knuckles was confused on why she would say that, his slow brain unable to keep up. Then finally he got it and started laughing too. "Yeah, that would suck!" he grinned. "Imagine being stuck in this forest because you couldn't lift me off the ground."

"Yeah, totally," Rouge nodded with a chuckle. "But ya know you could always go underground. I mean, that's something you're known for, Knux."

"But…wouldn't I drown? There's water right beneath us."

There was a silence. The Rouge began to crack up. A red vein throbbed on the side of Knuckles' face.

"Hey!" he growled. "What's so funny?"

"Knuckles…!" Rouge giggled. "An island isn't just a thin strip of dirt on water. There's at least twenty feet of land underneath us!"

"Oh." Knuckles looked down at the ground to hide his embarrassment (even though technically Rouge couldn't see his face from behind him xD) and was shocked when he realized they were hovering way above the island. The sight was gorgeous now that he was taking a good look at it from here instead of through a plane window. The sea seemed to sparkle like little crystal lights and the trees even looked less menacing.

"Wow…," Knuckles breathed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Rouge inquired quietly.

"Yeah…"

"Uh-huh," Rouge smiled. "This is one of the many wonderful things about being able to fly…" She nodded towards the land below, "…the view."

The rest of the flight was silent as Rouge swerved gracefully towards the beach. When they got there, they realized they were alone, so Rouge kept her arms around Knuckles as she floated just a few feet over the sand. Rouge jerked her head at the ocean and said playfully, "Not as pretty now, huh?"

Knuckles laughed. "Not even close." He twisted his head around to look at the bat holding him up above the ground. She winked at him, not seductively for once, but in a friendly way. He grinned, revealing his perfectly white teeth. They just stood **(um…I mean flied…or, uh, floated…or something o.O)** there for a while, staring and smiling at the other.

"Um, Rouge?" a voice asked from behind them.

Rouge let out a squeak of surprise and dropped Knuckles by accident. He landed on his stomach and sand sprayed everywhere at the contact. "Ow…," the echidna mumbled. Rouge turned and saw Tails, Cream, Cheese, and Rose there. The girls looked confused, but Tails was smirking.

"Hi!" Rose giggled. She hugged Rouge, who was no longer flying. "I missed you."

Rouge smiled and patted the hedgehog child on the head. "How do you like staying with Cream and Cheese?" she asked sweetly.

"It's so much fun!" Rose chirped. "We play all the time and Tails comes over often and we play cards and bake and run and it's amazing! Cheese is really good at making puppy chow and Cream is just like my real sissy, just more polite and she's around my age."

It was then that Sonic rushed onto the scene with Amy still in his arms. They were both laughing, probably from a joke or just one of those you-have-to-have-been-there things. Sonic then noticed that they weren't alone and quickly put Amy on the ground, but he made sure his arm was around Amy's shoulder protectively.

"Took ya long enough to get here, Knucklehead," the cocky hedgehog smirked.

Knuckles blinked. "We were here before you!"

Sonic shook his head. "No you weren't. I got here moments after I left you two in the forest. It was deserted, so I took Amy back to her house for a quick snack and to grab the ticket. Right, Ames?"

"Yup," Amy nodded, giggling. She pulled the ticket out of her left boot and held it up. "It's right here."

"Exactly," Sonic said, waggling his finger back and forth. "You guys were waayyyyy too slow."

Knuckles glared at him. "Well excuse us for having to FLY," he growled. "Not all of us have super speed, Hedgehog."

Sonic chuckled, hands on hips. "What can I say? I was born awesome," he remarked saucily.

"Yeah, okay," Knuckles snorted. "Awesome enough to nearly lose your girlfriend's life?"

Sonic refused to let that statement bother him, even if it was the whole reason he was still keeping Amy within his sight. The fear of her being taken away again haunted his mind. All he could say in response was, "Whatever…," trying to keep it cocky and hoping that was the end of that.

But Knuckles didn't want to let that go. "Oh and FYI, you do realize Amy's safe, right? You don't have to keep hounding over her like she's gonna vanish if ya let her go."

Sonic rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide the faint pink blush that tainted his cheeks. The hedgehog was silent, again hoping his lack of conversation could possibly steer the subject elsewhere.

"Let me see that ticket, Amy," Rouge insisted. She snatched the paper out of the pink hedgehog's hands.

"This is an all expenses paid trip to the beautiful vacation spot known as Hazard Island," Rouge read. "You may bring as many friends as you please. The plane leaves at 3:00pm. Don't be late! Have an egg-citing holiday!" She stopped reading, blinking at the last sentence. "Egg-citing?"

"Who else uses lame egg puns like that?" Sonic groaned, pressing his fist against his forehead. "Duh! Eggman! Tails, how could you miss that?"

"Amy missed it too!" Tails argued.

"Yeah, but to Amy it just looks like some stupid pun," Sonic frowned. "You're the smart one."

"You don't have to defend me, Sonic," Amy said. "I'm just as guilty as Tails is. I knew Eggman used those puns, I just didn't really think about it at the time." Sonic looked crestfallen.

"Well, it doesn't matter whose fault it is," Knuckles said angrily. "The point is we're here and there's nothing we can do about it. We survived one week, we can survive another."

"Well, well, well," Sonic teased. "Knucklehead is the optimistic one this time. I didn't see that one coming." Knuckles shot him a deadly glare.

"Whatever, now that that's figured out," Rouge sighed, grabbing Knuckles' arm, "let's go, Knux. We've got stuff to do." AKA, more talking lessons.

Knuckles' eyes lit up. "Oh yeah, cool." He followed her back to her house. Everyone watched as the most unlikely-to-get-together couple walked back to the bat's house together, shocked.

"Stuff," Sonic mocked. "Riiiight…" He turned to Amy who was grinning from ear to ear. "Hey, Ames, wanna follow the Knuxter's example and get out of here?"

Amy giggled. "Sure. My house or yours?"

"Yours. We can clean it up a little from the attack."

"Okay." Sonic's arm slipped off her shoulder so his hand could intertwine with hers as they walked back down the beach.

Tails blinked. "Did Sonic just…?" He couldn't help but grin. "Whatever. Are you two coming?"

Cream, Cheese, and Rose nodded their heads and scooted up on either side of Tails. "What do you think is going on between Ms. Amy and Mr. Sonic, Tails?" Cream asked curiously. She was peeking up at him with such a cute face he had to turn away to hide his blush.

"I think Sonic is finally starting to show Amy how he feels," Tails replied, his voice filled with pride for his brother. "And it's about time too!"

"Amy likes Sonic a lot. I can tell," Rose smiled humbly. "I'm happy for her."

"I am too, Rose," Cream giggled. "She's been waiting for him to like her back for years now."

Cheese nodded its head in agreement " Chao!" it squeaked, clasping its hands together.

"How many years?"

"At least 5," Tails estimated. "They met when they were young, and Amy used to follow him around like a lovesick puppy." He laughed. "Those were the days…"

"I can't remember much about when they first met because I was nearly a newborn," Cream explained to the little hedgehog. "Tails was about, um…3?"

"Yeah," Tails grinned. "But I still remember everything clear as day. Sometimes Sonic would hide in my house from Amy. She would come over either with her hammer out and ready, a marriage proposal for Sonic, or a proposition."

"A prop-o-what-shin?"

"Basically she'd bribe me with food to tell her where Sonic was," Tails laughed. "I gave in every time. She's such a good cook."

Rose, Cream, and Cheese laughed too. It was hilarious, just the thought of Tails selling his big brother out for a pastry or a cookie cake made by an 8-year-old girl.

"Did Amy ever hit Sonic with the hammer?" Rose inquired.

"Did she ever!" Tails chuckled. "She used to chase him around with that thing, no matter how fast he went. Whenever she would, he would come crawling back to my house with big red bumps on his head and he would swear, 'I'll never make that girl mad again…,' but he would. I never understood why he kept teasing her."

"Maybe he liked it when she hit him with it?" Rose guessed.

"Phhhtttttt, are you kidding me? He's as terrified of her hammer as he is of water."

Rose giggled. "Then maybe she gave him brain damage from all those hammers to the head."

Tails tapped his head thoughtfully. "That would actually explain quite a bit," he joked. They all stopped walking in front of Cream's house. "Well, here we are."

"Thanks, Tails!" Rose called to the fox as she raced inside.

Cream smiled at Tails. "What she said," she grinned. "Thanks for walking us back."

"Oh, it was no problem," Tails shrugged modestly.

Cream's grin widened. Before she lost her nerve, the youthful rabbit got up on her tiptoes and planted an innocent kiss on his cheek. "See you later!" she said. Then she turned to walk inside, feeling on top of the world for her accomplishment. Cheese winked at Tails before flying inside as well.

Tails touched his cheek and blushed. "See ya…"

~ …XXX… ~

"So your plan didn't work, sir," Robobot Butler 300 sighed. He felt down because it had actually been HIS plan to capture Amy. "Better luck next time…?"

"Next time," Eggman's deep voice growled. "What next time, robot? What else is there to do? I can't even capture the pink squirt properly anymore."

"I don't know, sir…," the robot butler contradicted. "I think making Sonic go back into the forest was pretty smart…"

"But now he's not afraid of it!" Eggman snapped.

"Oh yeah, that is a problem, sir…"

"Before, he shivered just at the thought of going into those woods," Eggman snarled, banging his fist on the table. "Now he could do it again without thinking twice!"

"Should schedule another downpour of acid, sir?" Robobot Butler 300 suggested.

Eggman turned around in his chair, his face shadowed. "I have one week left to come up with something that will get rid of the Sonic Team, and you suggest more ACID RAIN?"

"We could make it stronger, sir," the robot said. "We could make it go through their houses so that there's no place to run."

"No, that's impossible as of now…," Eggman murmured. "It would take weeks to make such a strong acid. But what we could do is we could lock them outside! And then we can kill them with the acid. Yes…"

"Oh yes, sir, because their windows are made of cement."

"Shut up," Eggman frowned. "But that's not such a bad idea not that I think about it…"

"CEMENT windows? Uh, sir, don't you think they'll notice?"

"They won't if we make the cement look like glass."

"Is that possible, sir?"

"Anything is possible, Robobot Butler 300," Eggman cackled, "When the evil Dr. Eggman has an idea…" The room filled with wicked laughter. "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hey! Zygote dude!" **(A zygote is an egg…just thought you might wanna know :3)**

Eggman wheeled his chair around to see a group of annoyed robots in the doorway. "My name is Dr. Eggman and you shall address me as such!" Eggman barked.

"Yeah, whatever," the robot who yelled said. "Listen, can you keep it down? We're working on that 'evil scheme' you came up with to turn your mother into pizza."

"Oh yes," Eggman sneered. "Carry on…"

~ …XXX… ~

Amy crouched on the floor and picked up a rather large shard of glass with two fingers. "Sonic! You missed one!"

Sonic turned around from the garbage where he was dumping all the other shards. "Oh. Sorry, Ames," he laughed anxiously. "Didn't see it there." He sped over, snatched it carefully from her grasp and dropped it in the trash. Then he grabbed both sides of the trash bag and lifted, getting ready to dispose of it.

"Here," Amy giggled. "You cleaned up all that glass. The least I can do is take out the trash." She walked over and retrieved the bag. Amy tied the top in a double knot, slung the bag over her shoulder and then walked into the kitchen. Sonic followed her, not really wanting to stay in her room. There were too many painful memories from that morning. When he saw her she was dumping the bag in a closet she used for trash. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey, Sonic…um…," Amy said softly, blushing. "Thanks for, ya know, helping me out today. Both times I should say."

"Oh, no problem," Sonic chuckled, rubbing his nose. "It was a piece of…wait…both?"

"Yeah," Amy stated, blinking at his obliviousness. "Saving me and cleaning my house with me."

"Oh."

"Um…," the pink hedgehog mumbled. "I guess I should go bake or—"

"Amy…" Amy looked up bashfully, her eyes peeking up from behind her eyelashes. Sonic bit his lip.

"Amy, listen…I…" He clenched his teeth with anxiety.

_'Are you really gonna go through with this?'_ Sonic's mind screamed at him._ 'You don't know what you're getting into! This morning you weren't even sure of your feelings for her.'_ Sonic dug his hand through his quills._ 'But I think I am now…'_

Letting out a long sigh, the blue hedgehog heaved himself down on her couch. He motioned for her to sit next to him and she complied right away.

"Amy…I need to tell you something important, okay?"

Amy cocked her head to one side. "What is it, Sonic?" she asked, smiling gently and blushed when he took her hands in his.

"I…I think I…," Sonic faltered. "Um…Ames, I um…" He trailed off.

"Sonic?"

_'Just say it!'_ "A-Ames, I think I'm in l-love with you…," Sonic said softly, blushing and twiddling his thumbs. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for her reaction._ 'I'm so stupid. Who stutters during a confession?'_** (Everyone, Sonic…everyone who's normal or just is really nervous xD)**

Amy's eyes widened and she pressed her fist against her mouth as tears threatened to spill. "S-Sonic…," she gasped. "I…I can't…" _'I can't believe he just…'_ "Oh, Sonic!" Amy tackled the surprised hedgehog to the floor and hugged his with all her might. "Oh, I love you too!" Sonic slowly hugged her back and grinned.

"Hey now," Sonic teased. "I said I think I love you. I didn't say I did."

Amy punched his arm. "_So_-nic!" she laughed.

"Okay, okay, I deserved that. I'm sorry," Sonic chuckled. "I _do_ love you, Ames…"

Amy began to cry with joy. She laid her head on top of his chest. "You have _no_ idea how happy I am to hear that."

"And you have no idea how awesome it feels to finally_ tell_ you that," Sonic said with his trademark smile. "I was always too shy to tell ya how I felt and I hated it because I'm never shy and you know that. I mean, whenever I like a girl in the past it was so much easier, but not with you, Amy! You…you are _amazing_! I can't believe how much I _love_ you!" Sonic fist-pumped the air and Amy giggled, blushing from his flattery. "I've never felt so fantastic in my life, Ames!"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Really? _Never_?" She was smirking.

"Why are ya smirking, Amy?" Sonic asked mischievously. "Ya got something up your sleeve?"

"Maybe…" She was obviously humoring him.

"Well, I've got something up my sleeve too," Sonic said devilishly. Without giving her any warning whatsoever, he pushed her off him so he could get on top of her and began to tickle her.

"EEEEKKKKKK!" Amy shrieked, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. "NOOOOOOOO!"

"Aha, you're mine now, Beautiful," Sonic chuckled evilly. He continued to tickle her, relishing in her cute giggles and screams of laughter. The funniest part was when she would squeak at certain very ticklish places, including her belly button and a spot on her side.

"N-NOOOOO! SONIC! EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Now let's go a little higher, shall we?" Sonic's voice was low and playful. His hands transported from her stomach to her neck and Amy's shoulders went up instinctively to keep his crafty hands from striking her weak point "AHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOO, SONIC! EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she screamed. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she squirmed around on the floor trying to wiggle out of his grasp and perhaps stop the ordeal if possible. "STOP! SONIC, P-PLEASEEEE!"

Sonic decided enough was enough and stopped like she'd asked. His large eyes swept over the giggling girl for a moment and he as shocked at the sudden urge to kiss her. A week ago if someone had told him he would have the urge to kiss Amy and WANT it, he would have laughed in their face, rubbed his nose, and said, "Yeah right!" But now, things had changed, and Sonic found himself not just wanting to kiss her, but craving it. And so with that thought in mind he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Amy's, taking her by surprise. Amy's eyes closed and she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and his holding her waist. The kiss was amazing (in _both_ of their opinions), but it only lasted a few seconds because halfway through, Sonic's nerves kicked in and he pulled away with a deep blush. He began to stutter nervously, both Amy cut him off with a gentle hug.

"When you told me you loved me a few minutes ago, I was absolutely certain my day couldn't possibly get any better," Amy giggled. "You just proved me wrong, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic smiled and pulled her into a sitting position. He pecked her lips briefly. "Not sure mine could get any better at this point either," he admitted. Amy blushed happily.

"You know what would be fun though?" Sonic asked with a sly grin.

A little disturbed, Amy backed her head away slightly and choked out a high-pitched, "What...?"

"Tickling you!" Sonic pounced on his girlfriend (Yes, finally!) and re-tickled her sides, earning some squeaks and giggles from the victimized girl. This continued for a few minutes until Sonic ended it with a kiss on the cheek to tell her he was done torturing her. He stood up. Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. She let out a ragged breath and smiled shakily at him.

"That was crazy," Amy whispered into his quills. "You're evil, you know that, right?"

Sonic smiled, his eyes closing as he breathed in the wonderful rose scent in her hair. "I was born this way, Ames," he smirked.

"Break the fourth wall again, Sonic, I swear...," Amy threatened jokingly. "Don't quote Lady Gaga. She's not worth quoting." **(Sorry, Lady Gaga lovers... I only like her song "Born This Way"...which is the song Sonic quoted...WHICH I DO NOT OWN! Dx)**

"Ah, but it's so much fun!" Sonic laughed. He pulled her into the hug tighter. "And besides, it's hard to think straight when I'm smelling your hair. It smells so good!"

Amy blushed again. "Thanks, it's called conditioner," she teased. "You should try it some time."

"Oh, but I do," Sonic countered. "Why do you think my quills are so soft?"

"I don't know...a brush?"

"That works too...but conditioner makes it easier to brush. So ha!" Amy rolled her eyes. "Also, conditioner makes my quills smell amazing. And _don't_ blame _that_ on Febreze!"

"Oh, so you're saying your quills smell good?" Amy challenged. "Let's see.." She got up on her tiptoes and sniffed.

Now it was Sonic's turn to blush. "A-Amy...," he protested, his voice strained with embarrassment. "You...you don't have to...ya know...come on, Ames..."

But Amy had to know if what he'd said was true. As she dug her nose into his quills she was frankly surprised by he smell that met her halfway. It was a mixture of space, adventure, Mobius, the wind, excitement, and Sonic's unique all bundled into one gentle, soothing fragrance and the power of it made Amy weak in the knees. She started to fall to his feet but he caught her before she could and lifted her back up.

"Are you okay, Ames?" he whispered into her ear, clearly concerned.

Amy blinked for a second to regain her senses and whispered back, half joking, half serious, "What kind of conditioner do you use?"

**This is a looooooooooooong chapter. Yes. It is. TOO MANY WORDSSSS. WHYYYYYYY?**

**Ugh. I hate how Sonic is so OOC in the beginning. I tried to make up for it in the middle when he fought the robot. That was in character...right? RIGHT? Blah.**

**That reminds me...about the robot, I just HAD to have a battle in here SOMEWHERE. I mean, this is SONIC, soooo...where Sonic goes, the fight with Eggman follows him.**

**The Sonamy scene makes me happy...now Sonic and Amy can be lovey-dovey and stuff...**

**JK JKAAAYYYY...I HATE writing lovey-dovey (but reading it isn't that bad...*shot*). But the cute scenes make me smile, so there will be LOTS of those! xD**

**Anywhooo...sorry about the No-Shadow thing...but he will come back! I guarantee it! He is very important.**

**Also, for some reason I KEEP FORGETTING CHEESE! WHY?! HOW COULD I DO THISSSS?**

**Yeah...PerfectClaw (that's her name at the moment. She might change it for the 2,000th time soon, so WATCH OUT) was revising my story for me (because I'm too lazy to at this point) and she pointed it out and I was like, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

**So yeah.**

**Sorry!**

**Review pleeeeease! Review's make me happy AND they inspire me. The more reviews I get, the faster I will get at updating. No joke.**

**I'm hoping to have the next chapter up before school starts on Tuesday, August 21st. UGH. HIGH SCHOOL. I WILL BE SHOVED IN TRASH CANS AND LOCKERS BECAUSE I'M SO SHORT T^T GRRR.**

**Stay tuned and review! I love you all! ^^**


	7. Poisoned

**Teehee**

**I'm obsessed with this story all of a sudden.**

**HEY, IF YOU'RE READING THIS...you're cool. ^^**

**By the way, I used to have this auburn hair that went down to my lower back and I cut it all off today. Now my hair is barely grazing my shoulders and it's SOOO WEIRD! This is the first time I've had hair shorter than my upper back. I keep shaking my head back and forth to feel it swish around my head.**

**...yeah, I'm a loner Dx**

Disclaimer: I WANT SONIC…but I can't have him… SEGA, WHY YOU NO GIVE HIM TO MEEE? *runs away crying*

- Hazard Island -

Eggman paced his lab angrily, one hand behind his back and his brow furrowed in frustration. "What can I do to defeat Sonic now? I could try and scare them out and then kill them off…but that would _never_ work…" Pace, pace, pace, and turn. "Maybe I could capture someone else and lock them out during one of their emergency meetings…but how would I sneak six robots inside their houses without them noticing? Plus, they could easily get back inside." More pacing and turning. "I could drive their attic monsters insane…no, they already took care of the monsters last night…" He remembered watching with horror as the Sonic Team freed each monster of his control. "What do I do?"

Finally, Robobot Butler 300 had had enough of his master's nonsense and burst out saying, "Sir what about using some sort of gas? If you gas them out they will be reluctant to go back inside for a while and then you can have your robots lock them out while the gas is still too thick to see through."

Eggman growled. "Quiet you robot, I'm onto something…" He snapped his huge fingers. "I've got it! I'll gas them out and then lock the house while the gas is impossible to see through and they're all waiting outdoors. It's perfect! Why didn't I think of this before?"

Robobot Butler 300 facepalmed.

**(Sorry, I just had to use this joke somewhere…:3)**

~ …XXX… ~

"Hehe," Cream giggled. "Catch me if you can, Tails!" The little rabbit was running around the fox's house like a toddler, Tails right behind her. She ran over to the table and perched on the opposite side as him, edging in the direction away from him whenever he tried to go around it.

"_If_ I can?" Tails teased. "You don't think I can?" He began to spin his twin tails. "I might just have to prove you wrong!" The fox lifted into the air and flew over the table after the squealing girl.

Retreating, Cream ran into the hallway and Tails heard a door slam. But when he flew into view of all the rooms connected to the hallway, he was mildly disappointed to find them ALL closed. Knowing Cream was hiding behind on of them, Tails opened the closest: the bathroom. He peeked under the counters, shoved aside the shower curtains, and even lifted the toilet sear but found nothing. He headed to the next room which was a sort of guest bedroom. The room was pretty much empty – as he had no use for it – so he jogged down the hall towards the last room. His bedroom. Obviously this was where Cream was hiding, so he opened the door slowly for dramatic affect.

"Oh, Cream…"

Cream covered her hand to keep from giggling. She was hiding in the back of his closet behind a stack of books on physics and psychology.

"Are you…in here?" Cream heard a bit of shuffling and them something slammed closed, like a drawer. "No…guess not."

"Are you…under…the bed?" A thump followed his words like hands hitting the floor. "Not there either…" There was a bit more shuffle. "Hmm…where could she be?" Tails' voice echoed, sounding genuinely puzzled. But Cream was smarted than that. She knew he was humoring her and so she didn't make a sound.

"Well, I guess she's not here," Tails sighed. "Maybe I should go check out the guest room again." There was a silence and a couple footsteps getting quieter as each one passed. The door closed and what followed was torturous hush.

_'Did I really outsmart him?'_ Cream wondered unbelievingly. _'Me? Cream the Rabbit? Outsmart Tails the Fox, the genius inventor with an IQ of like 500? ME?!'_ Just as she was beginning to believe this, the closet door crashed open and Tails' face popped in. "BOO!"

Cream shrieked so loud a glass cup Tails had set on top of his dresser cracked. Tails looked over his shoulder at the damage for a second before turning back to Cream with a sideways grin.

"I probably could have planned that better," Tails joked. "Then maybe my glass would have been spared."

Cream laughed nervously. "I'm so sorry, Tails!" she rambled. 'I didn't mean to scream so loud, it's just that you really scared me and—"

"Cream, it's okay!" Tails assured her. "I don't care about the glass, it was my fault for scaring you." He held out his hand. "Now come on, let's get you out of this closet." Cream took his hand without hesitation and let him pull her to her feet. Suddenly though, they both sensed something odd.

"Tails…?"

"Yeah…?" Tails asked.

"Tails, you… Your voice!" Cream gasped randomly, backing away.

'What?" Wait…that wasn't his voice, was it? It was way too deep and he hadn't hit puberty yet…

"Why do you…?" Cream covered her mouth when she sounded manly as well. "Why do I…?" The girls' eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "TAILS, WHAT IS THAT?!"

Cream was pointing towards the door. Underneath it slithered a sort of gas Tails was familiar with but couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Gas!" Cream screamed, pointing out the obvious.

"Is that…?" A light bulb went off in his head.

"Tails, we gotta get out of here!" the little rabbit urged him in a deep voice that sent shivers down Tails' spine.

"Right," Tails agreed. He quickly grabbed Cream's smaller hand and led her over to the open window. She carefully climbed out and he followed suit once he was sure she was safely outside. The both of them then made a beeline for Cream's house.

"What's happening, Tails?" Cream whimpered. Her voice was in between a girl and boy.

"I have no idea," Tails admitted. He noticed his voice was also going back to normal. "But that gas coming under my door was some sort of gas that makes your voice deeper, as you might have noticed. I don't know why it was in my house, but we have to find the others as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Cream nodded seriously. "I'm just glad I sound like a girl again." Tails snickered and muttered, "That was funny." The couple walked into Cream's house casually.

"Rose is sleeping in my bedroom," Cream informed Tails. "I'll be right back." She ran towards the hallway. Tails waited for a moment. Cream returned quicker than he would have expected with a sleepy Rose next to her, holding the rabbit's hand. Everything seemed normal so far, and then…

"Tails, do you smell something funny?" Cream asked. Her voice was higher than normal.

"Yeah..." Tails gasped, covering his mouth. His voice sounded high and girly. "Helium!" the brilliant fox squeaked. He pushed Cream and Rose out the front and closed the door behind them. The three of them leaned their backs against the door as Tails tried to fill a very confused Rose in on everything that was occurring. They didn't get much of a break because the gas began to seep through the cracks on the door. Automatically, Tails grabbed Cream and Rose's hands and dragged them away from the doorstep.

"Let's hide at the beach," Tails suggested. "If everyone is experiencing this, then that's probably where they're going too."

~ …XXX… ~

Sonic leaned back on his couch lazily, shoving his fourth chilidog in his mouth. "I'm sooo bored," he complained. "I wonder if Amy wants to hang out." He brightened up significantly just at the thought of the cerise hedgehog. Sonic reached over and grabbed the phone, dialing her number.

"Hello?" the familiar female voice asked, sounding drowsy.

"Hey, Ames, it's Sonic," Sonic beamed. "Think I could come over today?" I have absolutely nothing to do."

Amy moaned. She muttered something under her breath that Sonic couldn't quite grasp. "Uh, what did you say?"

She spoke a little more clearly this time. "You woke me up," the girl grumbled moodily.

Sonic guffawed. "Ames, it's, like, 4 in the afternoon. What are you doing sleeping this late in the day?"

"Blargh…"

"What?" Sonic fought the laughter creeping up in her chest.

"I dunno…," Amy murmured. "It was the first thing that popped into my head. I was taking a nap, for your information, and I'm grumpy when I'm woken from my nap time."

Sonic smirked. "Nap time, eh? I didn't know Ms. Rose was so in tune with her childish side."

"Are you calling me a baby?" Even when she was tired, she still had that fiery temper that Sonic loved so much.

"If I didn't say the word, then technically, no I'm not."

A slapping sound echoed through the phone and Sonic guessed Amy had facepalmed. "Sonic…what am I going to do with him?" she groaned.

"There are many things you could do with me," Sonic flirted wittily, just trying to fluster her. "I can wait for you to decide on a specific one."

Amy gasped. "You perv!" she shouted. Sonic could imagine the deep raspberry blush decorating her cheeks with ease.

"And she's awake, ladies and gents!" Sonic triumphed, clapping his hands dramatically.

"And she's going back to sleep," Amy yawned, her volume lowering. A couple fake snoring sounds followed and Sonic couldn't help but laugh.

"No way am I gonna letting you fall asleep while I'm over here bored outta my mind," Sonic scolded playfully. "You will continue to talk to me, young lady." There was a silence. "Um… Amy?" No response.

"Amy, are you there?" _'Maybe she really did fall back asleep…'_ He pouted. _'She would rather sleep than talk to me? Low blow, Ames…low blow.'_

Sonic rubbed his eyes, suddenly feeling extremely drowsy. "I think Amy's tiredness might have affected me…" A weird smell was overpowering his senses as well. What was happening? What was with the weird smell in the room, the tiredness, and the unknown gas creeping into the room from the attic?

Hold the phone; unknown gas?

Sonic leapt to his feet. What the heck was _that_? Was that _gas_ making him tired? He was just about to hang up the phone when he heard a sort of coughing echoing through it. "Ames?" The cougher got harsher and he could hear Amy desperately trying to catch her breath.

Cough. "So…" Cough. "…nic…" Cough. "He…" Cough. "…lp…" Cough. "…me…" The phone went dead.

Sonic's eyes widened. "Hold on, Amy! I'm coming!" He struggled to his feet, weak in the knees because of the gas, and ran out of the house.

Sonic burst into Amy's house and immediately caught a whiff of Amy's gas and started to cough. Well that woke him up. He covered his mouth with his hand and shouted, "Amy!" Cough. "Amy, where are you?" The blue hedgehog ran into her room first since she said she'd been sleeping. Sure enough, Amy was lying on the floor (the floor…?) wearing a fitting black jacket over her usual outfit, coughing her brains out. The phone lay next to her, sparking dangerously. Rushing over, Sonic scooped Amy up into his arms. She lay limp as if she had neither the will nor the strength to move. The only part of her she was using was her mouth – to cough. Quickly, he pulled the lip of her jacket up over her mouth and her vicious coughing instantly deflated to a not-so-harsh whimper and gasps for breath.

_'I need to get her out of here,'_ Sonic thought worriedly. He coughed again and cursed mentally for being so weak. The hero-hog zoomed out of the house with his girlfriend safe in his arms.

_'Where is a good place for fresh air?'_ Sonic wondered. The he got it. _'The beach!'_ And that's where he was headed.

~ …XXX… ~

**Flashback**

_Knuckles stretched his arms as he woke up from a peaceful rest on the couch in his house. "Ah…that was a fantastic sleep!" the echidna said to no one in particular. He scratched his back, stretched, and was about to get up when he realized his whole house was filled up with a strange yellow gas that smelled really nice._

_"What the heck?" Knuckles blinked. "I do _not_ remember my house being full of gas when I went to sleep." He inhaled deeply. "Hmm…smells nice. Well, whatever. It can't be anything too dangerous, but just in case, I should probably get out of here for some fresh air."_

_The phone rang. He grabbed it off the hook and brought the receiver end up to his ear. "You got Knuckles."_

_"Hey, Knuckles, it's Rouge." Knuckles grinned._

_"Oh hey, Rouge," he smirked, leaning back on the couch. "Wassup?"_

_"I was just sitting here bored when I decided to ask if ya wanted to come over and hang for a while…" Rouge twirled the phone cord around her index finger. "So, what do ya say?"_

_"Sure, I'd love to!" Knuckles agreed. "I need to get out of my house anyway. My house is full of some sort of gas or something like that. I dunno."_

_"Okay…I guess..." Rouge coughed uncomfortably. "So, you wanna come now or…"_

_"Now. I'll be right over." Click._

**End of Flashback**

_'I wonder what that gas was…," _Knuckles wondered. He was sitting on Rouge's couch now, his hands behind his head. Rouge was talking about something but he wasn't really listening anymore. _'Maybe it was Eggman again. Maybe he was trying to…I don't even know this time. Why set off a gas that smells so nice? It didn't bother me at all.'_

"Knuckles, are you listening to me?"

Knuckles brought his focus back to the present. Rouge was glaring at him intensely, her hands on her hips. There were flames in her eyes that strangely reminded him of Amy. _'Although, now that I think about it,'_ Knuckles thought, _'Amy hasn't gotten mad in a long time. I wonder if it has anything to do with the attention Sonic has been showing her lately.'_

"KNUCKLES!"

Knuckles shrunk back in his seat as Rouge seemed to double in size. "Yes…?"

"You haven't heard a WORD I've said, have you?" Rouge hissed wrathfully, wagging a scorning finger back and forth.

Knuckles gulped. "Which answer will avoid me getting beat up? Yes or no?"

Rouge smacked him upside the head. "Neither! But I might consider having mercy on ya if you tell me why in the WORLD you're being so distant today."

"You _might CONSIDER_? That doesn't give me much hope…"

"_Knuckles_…"

"Alright, alright!" Knuckles threw up his hands in surrender. "I was thinking about the gas in my house and I was wondering if Eggman was involved in any way."

Rouge's expression softened and her fists unclenched. "Oh, that's it?" She smiled tightly. "Well then I guess I could let this slide." She sat down again and Knuckles sighed in relief.

"Now, I was just saying that when you talk to someone, especially to someone of the opposite gender, it's wise to keep your shoulders straight and not to hunch over, and remember that you should always, _always_—"

"Hey, Rouge?" Rouge narrowed her eyes.

"What."

"I was just wondering if I could eat something," Knuckles said sheepishly. "I'm starved."

Rouge sighed. "Whatever."

"Great!" Knuckles hopped to his feet and walked over to the kitchen. "Got anything good to eat?"

"Yeah…" Rouge seemed more interested in staring out the window than talking to him. Deep down, she was wholly embarrassed about her actions earlier. She's sounded desperate (in her opinion) and _mean_ and she didn't _want_ to sound like that...anymore.

"Like…?"

"Like food," she huffed, wanting to be difficult.

"What kind of food?"

"The kind that you eat."

"What other kind of food is there?"

"The kind that you don't eat."

"There's a kind of food you don't eat?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Okay…?"

"Yup," Rouge said quietly. "You can find the food in the fridge."

Knuckles grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere." He opened the fridge and pulled out a bucket of chicken. "You went to KFC, Rouge?" Knuckles teased. "I didn't know they had one available on the island." **(I do not own KFC! KFC owns KFC :D. I actually added this part specifically for my BFF, Tiarawasnthere, cuz she LOVES KFC ^^)**

Rouge laughed. "I smuggled it aboard the plane," she told him. "Wanna eat it while I mentor you?"

"Don't see why not," Knuckles chuckled. He sat down on the couch again, placed the bucket on the table between them, and plucked a chicken leg out of it. Rouge giggled when he sank his teeth into the meat of the cold leg and murmured with pleasure.

"Want some?" Knuckles offered between bites.

"I guess, I mean, it IS my chicken after all," Rouge smirked. She chose a wing and tore off the skin first with her teeth. "Yum. KFC rocks!"

"Tell me about it," Knuckles agreed. He was already half done with his portion and was reaching for another. "So, about those lessons…"

Rouge's eyes lit up. "Right," she nodded. "So like I was saying before, you should always…" But Knuckles never found out what he should always do. The bat trailed off, sensing something wasn't right.

"Rouge?" Knuckles asked. "You okay?" He was taken aback when Rouge randomly began to laugh uncontrollably. She doubled over, laughing harder and harder. Clearly something was wrong.

"Rouge, what's so funny?" Knuckles demanded, masking his deep concern for the bat with anger. Rouge shook her head back and forth, continuing to guffaw as tears rimmed her eyelids. Before he knew it, he began to chuckle softly, but he didn't know why. Nothing about this was funny AT ALL. He laughed a little harder, feeling beyond confused. Rouge realized what was happening _way_ before he did. Quickly, she stood up, pulling Knuckles up too, and dragged him across the house and out the door. As soon as they had caught their breath (well, kinda…), Rouge whispered to him shakily, "Laughing gas…"

"Laughing gas?" Knuckles blinked.

"Yeah." Rouge wiped her brow. "Come on, we gotta find the others and tell them about this."

She looked over at the house next to her just to find it leaking gas out of the windows. Rouge sweat-dropped.

"If this is happening to everyone, no doubt they already left," Knuckles pointed out. "Wanna see if they're at the beach?"

"That does seem to be the place we all go to whenever there's danger," Rouge shrugged. They walked down to the seashore quickly and weren't surprised to see Sonic, Amy, Rose, Tails, Cream, and Cheese already there.

"Great, we're all here," Sonic grimaced. "So are we the only one's getting infected with gas in our houses? Amy nearly coughed herself to death and my house made my eyes burn like mad."

"That was an exhaust fume of some sort for you Sonic," Tails explained logically. "Amy must have gotten something else. Take...Hydrogen Sulfide for example?"

"What about you, Rouge?" Rose piped up in a cute little voice.

"Laughing gas," Rouge said again.

"And Knuckles?" Tails asked.

"I don't really know to be honest," Knuckles shrugged. "But I'll say one thing. It smelled amazing. I liked it a lot."

Tails was confused. "You liked it? How so?"

Knuckles yawned. "Dunno. It kinda reminded me of honey in a way. Really nice. And it was clear."

Tails' eyes widened significantly. "Clear...? Honey...?"

"Yeah. Everyone else had something bad except for me," Knuckles gloated. "A few sneezes and a bit of mild dizziness was all I got and I could totally handle that. I would have stayed but Rouge wanted me to come over to her house."

Tails whispered something in Sonic's ear, making the hero's jaw drop with horror. "No...you don't think...?" he hear Sonic whisper back urgently. Tails just nodded solemnly.

"What?" The two turned back to Knuckles with very, very, very sad expressions. "What?! Is there something in my teeth?" The echidna covered his mouth with his huge fist self-consciously.

"Knuckles...uh...," Tails choked out. "I don't know how to break this to you...but...uh...that gas in your house...? Was something...the name slips my mind at the moment...but...it, um...it's fatal, Knuckles."

"Wait...WHAT?!" Rouge shrieked, not caring if she was out of character anymore. Her heart had just stopped. _'Fatal. had he just said...FATAL?'_

"Knuckles is gonna die?!" Rose gasped, beginning to sniffle. Tears threatened to spill and it broke everyone's heart.

"Not if we can help it," Sonic comforted her, not completely sure of himself.

"Quick, how long were you in there?" Tails urged Knuckles.

Knuckles rubbed his eye and scratched his back. "I...don't know...I fell asleep...why?"

"Sonic, we need to get Knuckles treated RIGHT AWAY."

"But, Tails," Sonic protested. "We can't take him BACK to the gas rooms! That will just make everything worse!"

"Well we have to do SOMETHING!" Tails cried.

"Like what?!"

"We have to...uh..." Tails racked his brain for an answer, cursing his IQ of 350 **(I made it up) **when he kept coming up short. "He needs to be...he...I...uh..."

"Tails!" Amy whimpered, worried for her friend. "What do we DO?!"

"Tails?" Cream asked shyly.

"Tails?!" Rose sobbed, tears falling down her face.

"TAILS!" Rouge screamed in his ear.

Tails grabbed his head and struggled to think. "He needs to be flushed of all the gas...but the ocean won't work...salt is bad...and we can't go inside...and there are no rivers nearby..." He looked up. "Which house has the least annoying gas?"

"Um...," Sonic pondered. "Sleep, cough, burn, death, laugh, or voice...you choose."

Tails brightened. "The lowering on the voice! Brilliant! We can deal with that, right?"

"Yeah!" Cream giggled. "I can go through that again. Let's go save Knuckles' life, everyone!"

...

About ten minutes earlier...

"One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!" Eggman chanted into the microphone. He watched with pride behind his totally outdated glasses as several of his best robots marched out the door. All of them had their own specific jobs to do. All of them went to different houses, in pairs, to complete their mission. What mission? Locking out the Sonic Team and making sure it was impossible to get back in. "One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!"

He didn't know about the deadly gas in Knuckles' house. That had been a special add on courtesy of one of his duller robots. So in all honesty, Eggman was totally unaware of Knuckles' state. He didn't know Knuckles was dying, and if he had, he probably wouldn't have ordered these robots to keep the Sonic Team from entering their own homes. Because if they can't get inside, Knuckles can't get cleaned of the bacteria. And if Knuckles can't get clean...

Knuckles...will die.

**WHOOOOOOA. HUGE cliffhanger. :U**

**Sorry about that everyone. I actually wanted to add the rest of the chapter here, but I'm just SOOOO LAZY right now.** **I could just fall over.**

**Falling over actually seems pretty appealing at the moment...nice, comfy rug...ahhhh...**

**But all jokes aside, I am VERY sorry about the Knuckles cliffhanger. I like Knuckles. I do. But it had to be him, okay? You'll understand in the next chappie, peoplezzz, if you can't already guess it now.**

**HINT: It has to do with his strength.**

**DOUBLE HINT: It's simpler than you think. Don't stress yourself trying to figure it out.**

**If you CAN figure it out (which all of you probably will since it's not very well hidden), I will give you a cookie, a llama, and an ice cream cake.**

**...nah, not really. But an _imaginary_ cookie, llama, and ice cream cake is good too ^^**

**So yeah. Byeee! :)**


	8. Sleeping in the Forest

**Okay, I know you all want to kill me, so I'm gonna go hide.**

**Shadow! You write this chapter, I'll be under my bed with my sketch pad. Kthxbai.**

**Shadow: What? Why me? Get Faker to do it.**

**Sonic: I have a naaame!**

**Me: Because you're important in this chapter, Shadow! So get crackalackin'.**

**Shadow: *grumbles***

**Me: *hides***

**Sonic: Um...I guess I'll do the disclaimer then...Rachel does not own me or Amy or Shadow or anyone else because we belong to ourselves. I am my own man!**

**Shadow: Okay, a) we belong to Sega and b) you're a hedgehog, not a man.**

**Sonic: *cries* My dreeeeeeams!**

**Silver: *appears randomly* Cause every night I will save your life! And every night I will be with you!**

**Blaze: *joins in* Cause every night, I still lay awake...**

**Silver and Blaze: And I dream of an absolution!**

**Sonic: Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!**

- Hazard Island -

Everyone was crowded around Tails' front door. Tails was trying to turn the knob but it wouldn't budge. He started to frantically twist and pull it but it was almost like it was stuck.

"Let me," Sonic dismissed. He backed up and then rammed the door with his side. Nada.

"Ooh!" Amy cried, rolling up the sleeves of her jacket. "Let _me_ have a crack at it!" She raised up her hammer and slammed it against the splintery wood but surprisingly got the same result.

"Huh?" she gasped. "My hammer is foolproof! How can it be weaker than a door made of wood?"

"Maybe it's not made of wood anymore," Tails pointed out.

"We were gone a long time...," Rose said softly.

"Could this be one of the island's horrors?" Cream asked in a scared voice.

"More like _Eggman's_ horrors," Tails growled. "He must have done something to our houses and now we can't get in!"

"Well that won't stop me from trying!" Sonic said angrily. The blue hedgehog curled up into a ball and spin-dashed the door.

"Don't stop, Sonic!" Amy yelled and added her hammer to the mix.

"That's what she said," Knuckles blurted out, receiving a couple glares from the girls.

"Pervert!" Amy glared at him and a hammer nicked him in the side of the head.

"Hey!" the echidna complained. "I'm _dying_ here!"

"That doesn't give you the right to taint these poor children's minds!" Amy huffed. She eyed the red and gold weapon on the ground. "My hammer. Give it to me."

"That's also what she-" Knuckles began but was stopped by another one of Amy's hammer's shoveling down his throat. Amy humphed and then began to pound on the door again.

"Don't forget _me_!" Rouge grinned, adding her spin-kicks in with Sonic's spin-dash and Amy's hammer. Tails, Rose, and Cream were too young to really do anything so they just stayed back.

Now if you had added Knuckles to this group of heroes, maybe they would have been able to make a dent on the door, but unfortunately, Knuckles was too weak to so much as lift a glove. He had basically been leaning on Rouge until she'd left and then he'd fallen over on top of Tails.

A deep and evil voice rang out through the island, although no one could hear it. It said, "Bring on the rain."

...xxx...xxx...

Sonic looked up from his attacks on the house. Dark clouds were setting in slowly and he knew that could only mean one thing: Rain. And what kind of rain blessed this wonderful island?

"RUN FOR COVER!" Sonic roared. He quickly pulled Amy onto his back, picked up Rose in his arms and sped off for the forest.

Tails gasped when he saw the clouds. "CREAM! ROUGE! KNUCKLES! MOVE, MOVE, _MOVE_!" The yellow/orange fox ran over to Cream and grabbed her hand, ready to drag her to the forest too. He turned back right before leaving to yell, "Rouge, get Knuckles! We gotta get outta here!"

There was no awkwardness this time. Rouge didn't care how embarrassed this might make him, there was no other way to pink him up with him just lying there on the ground all limp and stuff. The bat scooped Knuckles into her arms bridal style and lifted off into the sky.

"Owch!" Rouge whined as a drop of rain seared through her wing. She started to lean over to the side, but was able to pull herself upright. But then her other wing got hit. "Ow! That hurts!" Rouge looked up and saw that the clouds were definitely faster than her and she probably wasn't going to make it to the forest where her friends were already setting up a campsite to hide from the rain.

Several drops of acid punctured her legs and next thing Rouge knew, she was starting to descend...and quickly.

"No, no, _no_!" Rouge cried, struggling to keep flying. "I have to keep going!" Knuckles would have encouraged her to keep going if he hadn't been unconscious. Then just as she was about to hit the ground, something picked her up in its arms and ran across the sand with her. Rouge looked up to see a very familiar face.

"Shadow?" Rouge gasped. Shadow grunted in response. "Shadow, what are you doing?"

"Saving your life," he said bluntly.

Rouge smiled. "Thanks," she said. He grunted again.

...xxx...xxx...

Sonic looked over his shoulder at the desert before him. "Has anyone seen Knuckles and Rouge?" he asked the group. They all shook their heads. He was about to go out and look for them when suddenly Shadow sped onto the scene with Rouge in his arms and Knuckles in her arms. It was actually quite comical, but nobody felt like laughing. Shadow set Rouge down and Tails ran over to help Knuckles get under the little fort the team had made.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"I started to fall and Shadow saved us," Rouge said with a vague smile.

Sonic held up a hand. "Way to go, bro!" Shadow just stared at the gesture and Sonic lowered his arm awkwardly, mumbling, "Just leave me hangin' why don't you..."

Amy ran over to the three heroes. "Hey guys, um...I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Nope, nothing at all!" Sonic smiled at her. She brightened significantly.

"Good! Then it might be a good idea to get out of the rain because by the looks of it, it should be upon us right-" Rain started to pour all around them. "-now."

Everyone shrieked except Shadow. A drop of rain cut through Amy's shoulder and she cried out. Sonic was by her side in a nanosecond. Thinking fast, he pulled the hoodie on Amy's jacket up over her head to protect her face.

"Ames, are you okay?" he asked as he started to run her over to the fort, Rouge following. "Does it hurt?"

"I-I'm okay," Amy said bravely. Blood was seeping right through the jacket and it hurt like crazy, but she forced herself to smile. "Don't worry about me." They walked into the fort and Sonic set her on the ground. He then pulled her into a hug.

"We'll treat your shoulder when we can, Ames. For now, we can patch it up a bit and stop the bleeding." He tore off his glove and wrapped it around her shoulder. As soon as his glove was off, Amy's eyes caught something pink she didn't think she'd ever see again. There, dangling off his wrist as if it was slightly too big, was an old coral bracelt made of pink sea shells.

Amy gasped. "The bracelet...," she mumbled. Sonic looked down at his wrist and blushed.

"Yeah, I fixed it and I haven't taken it off since," he confessed. "Gotta be ready for the water, ya know?"

Amy hugged him. "I thought I would never see it again!" she giggled. "You're amazing, Sonic! It never crossed my mind that you would keep the bracelet I made for you!"

"Hey, you're the one who made it," Sonic winked. "Why wouldn't I keep it?"

Amy blushed. "Thank you...," she smiled.

Sonic rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately. "Anytime, Ames! Now help me take off my other glove. The blood isn't clotting."

...xxx...xxx...

Shadow just stood there.

"Shadow, come on!" Rouge cried.

Shadow looked around. "What are we running from?" he asked, folding his arms. "I don't see the danger."

"Hello, acid rain? Ring any bells?" the bat clarified.

Shadow held out a hand and watched as a couple drops of rain melted part of his glove. "Well, what do you know. Acid rain." He shrugged. "Whatever." Rouge stared, dumbfounded, as he walked casually towards them and sat on the ground near the group as if the rain hadn't affected his at all.

"Shadow, do you even feel pain?" she asked him, unable to look away.

He shrugged again. "Guess not."

...xxx...xxx...

The fort wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. It was just big enough for everyone to spread out and get semi-comfortable, so it wasn't that bad a sleeping arrangement. However, they were sleeping on the ground on a Haunted Island controlled by Eggman, surrounded by acid rain, so nobody really slept anyway. Amy was huddled up next to Sonic, one hand on her shoulder to try and stop it from bleeding through Sonic's glove. Sonic was holding her close to comfort and protect her, her big black jacket wrapped around the both of them as she shivered continuously. Rouge held Knuckles' head in her lap as he suffered, not daring to fall asleep. Knuckles was afraid to sleep as well, but he didn't want Rouge to think him a coward, so when she'd ask why he was awake he would tell her he was protecting her, which was, of course, absurd judging upon his condition, but she was too exhausted to argue anyway. Shadow sat at the edge of the fort, staring into the night. Rose, Cream, Cheese, and Tails were all curled up against each other near Sonic and Amy, trying to get warm.

It was a cold, _cold_ night.

"Sonic," Amy whimpered softly. "I'm scared...and cold..."

"Don't worry, Amy," Sonic soothed her, brushing her bang-quills out of her eyes with his bare hands and kissing her forehead. "I'll keep ya safe no matter what." He wrapped her jacket around the both of them tighter.

Amy smiled to herself. "It's hard to believe you're the same boy who ran from me for 5 years and claimed we'd never be more than friends..."

Sonic chuckled. "And who ever said I always meant whatever I said?" he prodded gently. "I was just trying to keep you safe. Back then you tended to get captured a lot."

"Yeah...," Amy groaned, flushing. "But I'm a lot more capable of taking care of myself now. They only captured me last time because I was asleep, which was a cheap shot if ya ask me..."

"Agreed. That wasn't quite fair," Sonic nodded. "It's getting late. Do you think you can sleep, Ames? You know I'll protect you."

Amy yawned in response and laid her head down on Sonic's lap and Sonic took the jacket off himself and laid it down on top of just her, allowing himself to be cold as long as she was warm. "Yeah, sleep sounds nice right now..." Her eyes closed. "G'night, Sonic. I love you..."

Sonic leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Love ya too, Ames. Sweet dreams..."

**(Me: ERMAHGERSH. Sonamyness is so beautiful...I SHIP IT.)**

...xxx...xxx...

Tails checked Knuckles' temperature by pressing his palm against the ill echidna's forehead. It was burning like mad. He pulled back when Knuckles coughed for a second.

"I'm guessing a fever of 104...," the fox mumbled to himself. "And in this cold, I don't even know how that's possible!"

"He needs to cool down and be as cold as the rest of us!" Rouge cried.

"Gee, thanks," Knuckles teased, rolling his eyes. "I mean, i would just _love_ to be as cold as you guys..."

"Knuckles, how do you feel?" Tails asked him anxiously.

"Horrible."

"Come on, Knuckles," Tails urged patiently. "We need to know what symptoms you have. It's been about 3 hours, so..."

"I cough. A lot."

"Okay, that's something," Tails nodded. "However, we already knew that. Anything else?"

"I'm hot," Knuckles smirked. "In both ways." Rouge rolled her eyes, smiling.

Tails smacked his forehead. "Be serious, Knuckles!"

"Fine, I itch all over."

"Mhm...what about your eyes?"

"Ugh...," Knuckles complained miserably. "They burn!" He tried to rub them but Tails didn't let him.

"No, you can't," Tails said with authority. "Your eyes need to be flushed of the gas first." Knuckles groaned loudly. "What else is bothering you?"

"Well...my side aches...," Knuckles said slowly, "and I feel really weak, and..." He covered his mouth to keep from puking. "Ugh. This is gross, man."

"It's getting worse," Rouge frowned.

Knuckles covered his face with his over-sized hands. "I can't die!" he growled furiously. "I have an emerald to guard! I'm the last echidna...it's my responsibility! If I die, my race will be extinct. No more echdina's...at all!" Tails patted his shoulder sadly.

"You are not going to die!" Rouge yelled in his face. "You hear me, Hotshot? You are gonna fight this because you are NOT going to leave me hear alone!" She looked up to see Tails staring at her. "What?"

"Are you two...going out?" Tails asked, scratching his head in a confused manner.

The couple looked at each other as if having an unsaid conversation. They didn't need to tell each other to know how the other felt right then. "Yes," they both said at the same time, tones flat as a board.

Tails puffed out his cheeks. _'I'm the only boy here without a girlfriend...except Shadow...'_ He turned. _'Wait...has Sonic...?'_ He spotted his big brother beside him, sleeping with his arms around Amy who was also asleep with her head resting in his lap. _'Yup, I'm the last one...who wants a girlfriend at least. Who knows what Shadow's thinking. This sucks.'_ The fox peeked at Cream who was comforting Rose and trying to use Cheese as entertainment for them both and blushed.

Rose touched Rouge's injured wing delicately. "Hmm...you're hurt, Rouge."

Rouge shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Hold still," Rose said softly. She closed her eyes and a blue light surrounded her hand and the part of Rouge's wing her hand was touching. Rouge gaped as the holes in her wings closed up. She watched wide-eyed as Rose moved on to her legs and healed them too.

"Rose...are you a _healer_?" Tails gasped. He was just as shocked as Rouge.

Rose blinked. "If that's what you call someone with healing powers...yes." She smiled a wide, toothy grin.

"Heal Amy!" Cream suggested. "Her shoulder is bleeding."

"Okay." Rose crawled over to the pink hedgehog and touched her shoulder. Within moments it was as if she had never been hurt in the first place.

Rouge didn't waste any time. "Rose, can you heal Knuckles?" Her eyes were pleading. "_Please_, Rose?"

Knuckles had fallen back into unconsciousness, so Rose touched Knuckles' forehead and concentrated. Her teeth were clenched as the light enveloped Knuckles completely. Sweat poured down her face.

"Rose, are you okay?" Tails asked nervously.

The light suddenly exploded and Rose was thrown back a few feet. When Rouge crawled over to see if she was okay, she noticed the little girl's nose was bleeding.

"Rose?" Rouge cried.

"I worked myself too hard...," Rose sighed, wiping her nose sadly.

"Did...did you heal him?" Rouge asked hopefully, her hands pressed together. Rose looked over at Knuckles' sleeping form and her eyes dimmed. "You didn't...did you?" The hurt in Rouge's eyes was too much for Rose to bear.

"I...I tried...," Rose said quietly as if ashamed. "...but I don't think I'm skilled enough to heal him fully. I've only healed cuts and bruises and things before...nothing like...like_ this_."

Rouge punched the ground angrily. "Ugh! Why _Knuckles_?!" she cried out.

"Wait, Rouse!" Tails called out to the enraged bat. He had his hand on Knuckles' forehead again. "His fever has gone down at least 2 or 3 degrees. Rose did some good things after all!"

"Are you saying he's going to be okay?" Rouge asked, eyes shining.

"Maybe...," Tails shrugged. "He still needs to be washed of the gas. It's all over him as of now and it's keeping him sick. But Knuckles is strong. He can fight it."

Rouge stroked Knuckles' cheek with her thumb. "You're going to be okay, Knux...I promise." She closed her eyes. "I _promise_."

**Short chapter. I know.**

**I'm sorry, but I'm so _tired_ and even though it's past midnight, my sense of humor is faltering for some reason.**

**I need 5 Hour Energy.**

**Anyone willing to donate?**

**Blaahhhh.**

**OH AND BY THE WAY...**

**_Please_ pray for my brother, everyone. Tonight he was taken to the hospital because he was pneumonia. I'm really worried about him, so if you could just spare 2 minutes of your day and offer up a little prayer for him, that would make me SO, SO, _SO_ happy.**

**Thanks.**


	9. Just a Normal Day

**OMG HAI**

**I have no inspiration. Whatsoever. Arghhhhhh.**

**But! Here's the good news :)**

**I have officially thought up the end of the story and how to get there.**

**I know. Unbelievable right? Rachel's actually using her brain.**

**Wow.**

**BTW: Just some info. I went through all the chapters and this chapter is officially Day 8.**

**Voila.**

**- **Hazard Island** -**

The acid rain didn't stop for a long, long time. The Sonic Team was stuck under their little shelter all night and half of the next day. The wait was agonizing because the longer they were there, the sicker Knuckles got, even with Rose's constant attempts to heal him. If it wasn't for her, he would suffered a lot more and perhaps died during the night. Rose lost a lot of blood and Rouge practically pounded a hole into the ground out of frustration but, her was alive. Cream helped Tails watch over Knuckles' condition which was easy. And then...the rain stopped. Yes, that's it. It stopped. It sort of just crashed to the ground in a wave of acid all at once, like a tsunami hitting a beach. Of course, everyone ran home first chance they got. Half way back, Rouge noticed Shadow had vanished again. No surprises there. By time they got back it had to have been around 2:00pm. And as luck would have it, the houses were unlocked and back to normal (Eggman thought the group dead, so he put everything back to the way it originally was).

"Quick, get him in the bathtub, STAT!" Tails ordered, kicking open the door to his on house with the heel of his foot. Rouge rushed in with Knuckles half-conscious over her shoulder (what...?). Sonic, Amy, Cream (Cheese), and Rose kinda just followed behind awkwardly, not really knowing what to do to help.

Tails pulled aside the shower curtain and pointed towards the tub. "In, now!" (Pushy...)

Knuckles let out a moan as he realized the fuss everyone was making over him. "Guuyyyssss...," he groaned.

Rouge lowered the sick echidna into the water Tails had already started running. "Stop complaining, Meat-head," she ordered in a light tone. "We just need to wash you up."

"I can wash myself," Knuckles argued stubbornly.

"No. No, you can't. Shut up."

Knuckles pouted with his arms crossed. "Fine. But THEY have to leave," he growled. He was (obviously) referring to everyone who wasn't Tails or Rouge. Rouge nodded and shooed (more like shoved) the three hedgehogs, bunny, and chao out the door.

"Argh, I can't believe we can't be in there while Knuckles is teetering between life and death," Amy glared. "Cliffhanger!"

"Amy, this isn't a cliffhanger, it's suspense. The cliffhanger was at the end of the last chapter."

"What?"

"Never mind..."

**(Rachel looks up from her desk and laughs evilly "I am the fourth wall breaker QUEEN!" No one else is amused.)**

Cream, Rose, and Cheese flopped down on he ground and pulled a deck of cards off the bookshelf that just happened to be next to them.

"Anyone up for Speed?" Rose suggested.

"No."

"Chao."

"Okay, jeez," Rose laughed. "What about Go Fish?"

"Ehhhhhhh...," Cream wavered, unsure. "I don't know...I like fish, but I don't like 'going' fish."

"Never mind, okay, how about Black Jack?"

That got Amy's attention. "How do you know a poker game?! You're four!"

"What's poker?" Rose asked innocently.

"I said nothing."

"Anyway, you want to play?" Rose asked sweetly. "What you do is the players and the dealer get two cards each. Everyone can see their cards. Taking turns, each player says 'Hit me' and the dealer gives them a card. You want to get to 21 or at least as close as you can get. If you go over 21, you bust. When you don't want any more cards, when you're done you say 'I'll keep mine'. Whoever is closest to 21 wins. Understand?"

Cream blinked. "You lost me at 'two cards each'."

"Chao..."

"Okay, whatever, let's try." Rose gave Cream and Cheese two cards. Then she placed down two cards of her own.

Cream looked at her cards. An five and a seven. That was...she counted on her fingers...nine...ten...twelve! Yay! So close!

Cheese tried to hold its cards. A two and a three. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Rose lifted up hers. An ace and an eight. Not bad...she could play off that.

"Cream?" Rose asked. Of course she was the dealer.

"Hit me."

Rose gave Cream a card. It was a four.

"Cheese?"

"Chao."

"I will take that as a hit." Cheese got another two.

"And I will take a hit." Rose gave herself an two as well. Well, what do you know. 21. She laid down her cards. "Black Jack."

"WHAT."

"CHAO!?"

"ALREADY?!"

"CHAOOOOOO!"

"Wanna play again?" Rose giggled. Groans.

It was then that the bathroom door decided to open, Rouge walking out with one arm around Knuckles' shoulder to support him. He was sopping wet and shivering from the air conditioning, but other than that he looked totally fine.

"Rose, heal him one last time, just in case," Rouge requested earnestly.

Rose nodded. She walked up to Knuckles and pressed her hand against his chest for the umpteenth time. The light surrounded the hedgehog and the echidna, just like countless times before. But this time was different. This time Rose didn't lose the connection and instead, the light faded naturally after a minute. This time Rose didn't get a nosebleed. She grinned widely.

"He's cured," Rose said triumphantly. "No doubt about it. Knuckles is as good as new.

Knuckles punched the air, savoring in the renewed feeling of his strength. "WHOOP! Thank goodness! My title as a guardian remains!"

Rouge linked their arms and batted her eyelashes at him. "And so does your title as my_ boyfriend_..."

Sonic's eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw went slack. "Wait...you two...you are...?"

Knuckles smirked, pulling Rouge close just to rub it in. "Yup, no need to be jealous."

Sonic wasn't fazed. "Why should I be? I've got the prettiest girl alive as _my_ girlfriend!" He smirked right back.

"Whoaaa, you...and...AMY?!" Knuckles gaped. "You actually stopped being a pansy?"

"What can I say? She captured my heart," Sonic laughed, blushing. Amy hid her face in her palms and giggled madly, her face _way_ pinker than Sonic's.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy!" Tails squeaked, thrusting his hands in front of him. "She_ captured_ your _heart_? As in...you love her?!"

Sonic looked shyly at his feet. "Well...yeah."

Tails began to bang his head against the wall. _'Where.'_ Bang. _'Have.'_ Bang. _'I.'_ Bang. _'Been?!' _BANG.

Amy got up from the couch and hugged Knuckles, bouncing up and down on her heels. "Knuckles, I'm so _glad_ you're okay!" It was a sisterly hug, but Knuckles still tensed up. Amy didn't usually hug anyone but Sonic.

"Ehhh...thanks...?" Knuckles chuckled nervously.

Amy giggled, gave him one last squeeze, and then slid back down next to Sonic. She poked him. He poked her back.

Rouge stretched out her arms and yawned. "Well, I for one didn't get a lot of sleep last night," she announced, "so I'm going home to bed."

Knuckles wrapped himself inside her wing like a mummy. "I'll go with you," he offered.

Rouge blinked. "Get out of my wing!"

"Make me," Knuckles challenged. As an answer, Rouge spun a circle and sent the echidna twirling around the room like a tornado. Dizzily, he collapsed onto his stomach, his eyes rolling around in his head.

"So what do we do now?" Rose asked.

"SLEEP," Amy called out.

"Eh, whatever we want, I guess," Sonic said, shrugging. "I'm just gonna chill until Eggman finds out we're alive and attacks us again."

"Easy enough," Tails nodded, rubbing his head which was covered in red bumps from his self-abuse. Cream poked the bumps, concerned, asking Tails if her was okay. He muttered that he was fine.

Sonic stood up, pulling Amy up with him. "Come on, Ames," he smiled. "I think I deserve to hang out with you now that all that's over with."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what if I feel like going back to bed?"

Sonic clucked his tongue. "I'll make sure you won't be able to sleep, trust me." **(Don't you dare take that in any sort of suggestive manner, you pervs!)** He turned to the others. "We'll be at Amy's house if you need us." He then led Amy away, holding her hand.

"I should go too," said Knuckles. "It's about time I was back in my own house."

Rouge flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll go with you." The couple started out the door.

"Wait!"

Knuckles and Rouge both turned around, confused. Rose was standing there, her face very sheepish and her peach muzzle flushed a light pink. She tugged on her short blue hair nervously.

"Um...I was wondering if maybe I could go too...," the little girl mumbled, mentally kicking herself for sounding so shy and unsure. "I really like hanging out with you two and, um...yeah, i just wanted to, um..." Her mouth went dry. She was shocked when Rouge walked over and picked her up, balancing the child on her shoulders.

"What's the hold up then?" the bat smirked. "Let's go" She stepped on Knuckles foot and he quickly nodded in agreement.

Rose's surprised expression broke into a happy one. She wrapped her little arms around Rouge's big ears. "Oh _thank_ you, Rouge!" she giggled bubbly. "You're the best! I love hanging out with you."

"Heh," Rouge chuckled. "I don't know how entertaining I am to a four year old, but if you really want to..."

"Oh yes, Rouge! I really,_ really_ want to!" Rose chirped.

Rouge wiggled her eyebrows a Knuckles. "Well, Knuxie, I guess it's time to switch out talking lessons to _parenting_ lessons." Knuckles blushed wildly. Everyone laughed.

...xxx...xxx...

Amy rested her elbow on the table and leaned her cheek casually on her palm. Outside, Knuckles and Rouge were playing with Rose (rather awkwardly, I might add since neither were accustomed to playing with children). The girl watched them with slight envy as Rose hugged Rouge after winning a little sand castle competition against Knuckles who was quite embarrassed about being shown up by a) a four year old and b) a girl. Amy closed her eyes with frustration and hid her head in her arms on the table. She squeaked when she felt Sonic jab her in her pressure points from behind.

"Hah!" Sonic chuckled. "I scared ya."

Amy glared at him and lightly slapped him across the face (playfully). "Go scare the daylights out of someone else, you butt-face."

Sonic cocked his head to one side. "What's up? Are ya upset or something?"

Amy sighed, looking out the window again. "Well...I don't really..."

Grinning, Sonic slung Amy onto his head, her legs in front of his face. "Tell me or I won't let you down."

"SONIC, LET ME DOWN!"

"Not until you tell me!"

"What about if I promise to tell you AFTER you let me down?"

"Wellll..."

"SONIC."

"Alright, alright!" Sonic put Amy down. The minute his hands left her arms, she took off down the hall. Of course, this was a stupid choice. I mean, her boyfriend wasn't nicknamed "The Fastest Thing Alive" for no reason. He had her pinned to the wall before she had even had the chance to touch the kitchen door. Amy had her back against the wall, Sonic's arms blocking her from going anywhere.

"Now tell me, or..." Sonic trailed off.

"Or what?" Amy challenged.

"Or...I'll kiss you." Sonic winked.

Amy's face flushed a deep pink. "Oh no," she wailed teasingly. "That's _sooo _horrible, now I must tell you because I _wouldn't_ want _that_.."

"So then will you tell me?"

If he wasn't going to kiss her, she sure was. Bu still, she said, "No," just to play with him.

"Fine then," he grinned. Leaning forward, Sonic gently pressed his lips against hers, tipping her head back against the wall. Oh man, how he loved kissing her. She was just so sweet and addictive and the act made him feel complete, like nothing else mattered. They kissed for about a minute, just enjoying each other until finally Sonic pulled away, but only slightly so that their foreheads were touching.

"I love you, Amy," Sonic said softly. "I'm just worried about you is all. I want to know what's going on because I love you and I want to help you."

Amy smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Sonic, I love you too...I'm sorry I've been keeping my feelings inside, it's just..." She backed off a bit and touched his nose lightly. "...you're so much fun to mess with!" She then giggled cutely.

Sonic chuckled a bit. "You're my Amy all right...," he said with a smile. "Now are you going to tell me or what?"

Amy sighed. Grabbing his arm, she led him back to the window. "I was just wondering...why Rose seems to have clicked with everyone but me." She blinked back the hurt as to not let Sonic see that she was more than just a tad bit upset about this. After all, it didn't seem fair to pester a hedgehog with the weight of the world on her shoulders with her petty problems. This was why she had wanted to keep it to herself. "Maybe it's because Rouge and Knuckles rescued her and Cream and Tails are more her age that she likes being with them more than with me."

Sonic looked at her for a minute, searching her eyes for understanding. Then she felt his hand slip into hers. "Have you tried talking to her?"

"About THIS?!" Amy sounded horrified.

He laughed. "No, in general!"

"Oh." OH. "Well, um...no."

"Don't you think you should?"

Amy blushed again. "Um...maybe...yeah, maybe I should."

Sonic beamed. "Great! You can leave now."

"Now!?"

"Yup." Sonic pushed her out the door. "Go get'er, Ames!" Amy laughed.

...xxx...xxx...

Amy watched Rose from behind a boulder. The child was lying on her stomach, drawing pictures in the sand with her forefinger. Rouge and Knuckles were on their backs a couple feet away from her, fast asleep. Amy was gathering her courage to walk over there, but for some reason, she felt so shy. I know. Amy Rose. Shy. Yeah right. But she was, and she didn't know why. She didn't like it either.

"Come one, Amy...," Amy whispered to herself. "She's a four year old girl. You can talk to her. You're the girl who openly declared her love for Sonic to both him and the rest of the world by age eight! Just stop hiding, get up, and speak!"

Amy looked at Rose again. She wondered what she was drawing. Could that be a conversation starter? Yeah. That could work. Okay, here goes...

Amy stood up with shaking legs and began to walk, she thought her legs would collapse. She eventually got to Rose who either hadn't noticed her or didn't care that she was there. Probably the second one. Amy plopped down on the sand next to her, her legs crossed. Neither spoke for what seemed like a long time. Then finally, Amy was about to shoot for her plan and ask what she was drawing when Rose spoke.

"I know you were behind that boulder," the little girl said bluntly, not looking up from work. "Why were you hiding?"

Amy's face burned and she scratched the back of her head subconsciously. "Um...I don't don' know to be honest...I guess I just...wanted to talk to you...but I was..."

"Shy?" Rose guessed.

"Yeah," Amy nodded. Rose laughed, making Amy crack a grin. "I know, it's ridiculous. I'm, like, the complete opposite of shy."

Rose muttered her agreement. "yeah, Cream told me how you used to chase Sonic around wherever he went and beg him to date you sometimes getting a little forceful." Owch, Cream. "That doesn't sound very shy to me."

"I know, I was very outspoken."

"Then why are you shy around me?"

Amy blinked. "I...have no clue. Maybe it's because you're a lot younger than me and I'm not used to talking to girls as young as you are."

"What about Cream?"

"I was actually like this around Cream at first, too. Now I've known her for a while, so I know I can be myself..." That's when it hit Amy. "Oh my gosh."

"What?"

"I'm talking to you," Amy gasped. "Like, legit. I'm legitimately talking to you."

Rose blinked.

"I mean, I have a lot of trouble with talking to children because I end up trailing off and it becomes awkward," Amy explained. "But I'm just talking to you like I would Sonic or Rouge. This...is amazing!"

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Uh...sure, yeah. I guess. I just wanted to talk to you."

"You're a really nice girl, Amy," she said with an adorable smile.

"And you are the cutest little think ever!" Amy teased, poking the little girl's stomach. Rose squealed, swatting at Amy's hand.

Suddenly, Amy remembered she still had things to do. "Oh dear..." She stood up, holding out her hand for Rose to take. Rose slipped her little hand into Amy's and allowed Amy to pull her to her feet. "I'm gonna go back to my house now," the pink hedgehog said. "I have some cleaning to catch up on and some baking to do for Sonic." Her cheeks flushed pink as she giggled, pressing her fist shyly to her cheek.

"Okay, bye, Amy!" Rose said, waving.

"Bye!"

Amy walked towards her cabin with a huge grin on her face, completely oblivious to a concealed spirit-like thing lurking behind her. She started to hum a little tune. The spirit reached out a slender hand to touch her and was inches away from doing so when she flung open the door and Sonic appeared from her kitchen, hugging her and lifting her off the ground.

Spirit vanished.

**FINALLY.**

**Ugh, I couldn't stand most of this chapter. Arghhhh.**

**I apologize for any grammar mistakes, but there shouldn't be many since Dawnish was checking for them ;3**

**Grah. It's 2:45am. I NEED SLEEP.**

**Gah.**

**...yes, I call the Amy stalker thing "Spirit". Why? Because I can.**

**Deal with it, bro.**


	10. Spirit

**Wheee! I've got inspiration!**

**I bet you're all thinking, "It's about time, you weirdo!"**

**And you'd be right. About taking too long, I mean. Not about being a weirdo.**

**...just kidding, I AM a weirdo.**

- Hazard Island -

Later that night, Amy sat alone in her cabin on her comfy couch. She was reading some random book she had propped up on her crossed legs. A lamp sat on a dresser beside her, shining dimly. It was about 10:00pm, Sonic had left her about two hours ago with the promise of coming back over in the morning and since she found herself unable to sleep for some very odd reason, she had decided to see if reading a good book would tucker her out. Two hours later...and she was still awake. Effective theory, eh?

A sudden creak in the dark caught Amy's attention. She set her book down beside her, her green eyes scanning the living room.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

There was no answer, so Amy decided it was just the faulty cabin structure and went back to her book. However, she then heard the door creaking open and jumped with fright. She hopped off the couch, crushing a pillow to her chest. The wary hedgehog flicked her free wrist and her huge hammer appeared in her grasp. She pointed it in the direction of the disturbing noise with one, trembling hand.

"Who's THERE?!" Amy yelled again, attempting confidence. "Show yourself! I have a hammer and I am NOT afraid to use it, buster!"

The lights shut off.

"Oh my go-" Amy's sentence was cut off when her legs backed up into the arm of her couch and she fell over it, her back sinking into the couch. When she looked up, a shadow was crawling along the floor from the outdoors, ominously entering the house. It seemed to sink into the darkness that the now dead lamp had created.

Amy scooted back in a panic until her shoulders jammed into the opposite arm of the couch. She held out her hammer again, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. "Stay back!" she screamed. "I'm warning you!"

The shadow slid across the rug, reminding Amy of a snake searching for its prey. It touched the couch and, although Amy couldn't see it in the darkness, it was headed straight for her.

As if sensing the shadow, Amy rolled off the couch onto the floor and ran over to the door, slamming it shut, still thinking nothing was inside her house. After all, she hadn't seen anything come inside. She'd only seen a shadow, and who was afraid of a lousy shadow? Not Amy. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a lousy shadow...

Breathing hard, Amy staggered into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of candles and striking a match, lighting them one by one. A warm glow danced across her pale face. But the shadow wasn't finished. Now that the light was back on, you could see it wasn't just a shadow either. It was a spirit; the same weird spirit that had tried to grab her earlier, and if Amy had turned around, she would have seen it and probably made a run for it.

But Amy didn't turn around right then. She was too busy trying to bring light back into the house to ease her fright. But when she felt the feel of a hand on her shoulder...THAT'S when she turned and saw what had broke into her house. Amy screamed.

"Who are you?!" the pink hedgehog gasped, backing into the counter out of shock.

"I am Spirit," the spirit hissed. "And I'm here to take you overrr..."

"Take me...over?" Amy echoed, confused. "Is that proper English?"

"Booooo...," Spirit booed, flailing its spirit-y arms.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "That's not scary," she huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Oh yeah?" Spirit growled, annoyed. "Well, how about THIS?!" It thrashed around like it was having a seizure.

"Well, I have to admire your _spirit_...but that's just about all I admire...," Amy said dully, inwardly smirking at her wit.

"Ooooh...I see what you there," it pouted. "You think you're soooo punny."

"I am," Amy grinned proudly, sticking out her tongue. "And sorry you can't scare me, but I'm just not afraid of ghosts."

"Really now," Spirit drawled out, a mischievous smile beginning to form. "Allow me to change that for you." The spirit grabbed Amy by her shoulders.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?!" Amy roared furiously, struggling against the ghost's iron grip. "Hands off the material, you translucent freak! How can you even touch me?! You're dead!"

Rather then answering, Spirit opened its mouth and a horrible, bone-chilling laughter erupted from its nonexistent throat. Amy felt her own mouth being forced open by some unknown force and then it almost seemed like Spirit's laughter was escaping the ghost's mouth in the form of an odd fog. The fog hovered in between the ghost and the hedgehog for half a second before it plunged into Amy's mouth.

Amy choked on the fog immediately, trying to spit it up and out, but Spirit wouldn't let her. Her head was spinning from the stress of it all, and right before her vision went black, she heard Spirit's voice in her head:

_"I said I was going to take over you, didn't I?"_

...xxx...xxx...

Amy woke up the next morning lying on her doorstep. Everything was fuzzy and felt weird, like her whole body was numb. There was an odd buzzing in her large pink ears. She wanted to move, but the numbness made her feel weak and helpless. Whenever she opened her eyes, the brightness of the sun hurt her head, so she kept her eyes closed.

Amy felt something shaking her. The feel of two, warm hands on her back, rattling her body, felt so distant. It was almost rocking her to sleep. Just as she was about to settle into the comfort of slumberland, a vague voice caught her attention. The voice sounded like an echo rumbling from behind a mountain and she winced. Voices, buzzing, rattling, numbness...just make it all stop! After a few seconds of trying, once again, to push the disturbances to the back of her mind so she could slip back into unconsciousness, and failing...Amy decided to see if she could make out what the voice was saying. As she listened, she heard, at first, a far off mumbling. But the longer it took, the more clear the voice became until finally it took on words.

"Amy!" it cried. "Amy, wake up! Please, gah, Amy...wake up! For the love of Mobius!"

Something was familiar about that voice. For one thing, it was definitely not a girl. Who was on this island that wasn't a girl? Amy's head throbbed from thinking so hard. Sonic...Knuckles...Shadow...Tails..._Eggman_...? Was Eggman on the island. Oh gah, the thinking was hurting her brain.

Meanwhile, the voice was letting out a pitiful cry.

"Amy...jeez...I love you," it begged. "Please...don't...don't...augh, Amy...don't leave me!"

"I love you," he'd said. That narrowed it down. Only one Mobian on the PLANET told her he loved her, and that was Sonic.

Of course it was Sonic! He had said he would come back in the morning, hadn't he? Sonic wasn't one to back out on his word (often). Man, she was slow. She just wished she could open her eyes, or her mouth, so she could convince him she was alright. She hated it when he worried, because usually he was wayyy too hard on himself. Even over situations he had no control over and didn't involve him at all.

Gah. Amy wanted so much to have the strength to speak. She just wanted to talk to him, to tell him the words swirling around in her pain-filled head. "I'm not dying, don't freak out." "I love you, too." "I'm fine, Sonic. Really." "I was molested by a ghost last night." "Please get me off the doorstep, it's dirty." But she barely felt like she could even lift a finger, much less open her mouth. so instead of telling him of any of this, she let out a sad moan from inside her closed mouth to let him know she was alive. After all, that was all she had the strength to do.

A soft hand reached its way under her stomach, the other still on her back. Carefully, she felt Sonic turning her over onto her back, and then shifting his hand from her stomach to beneath her knees so he could lift her off the ground. When she felt herself being taken off the ground, she silently thanked Sonic for getting her off the dirty steps of her cabin.

At least, she hoped it was her cabin.

She wasn't jostled the whole walk over to wherever Sonic was taking her. When they got there, she heard a door open, followed by Tails' voice (her head was clearing to the point where she could recognize voices). Then she heard Sonic's, telling Tails about her predicament. Cream was apparently there, too, since she heard the squeaky, high-pitched, worry-edged voice of the little rabbit as Amy was carried inside. She felt herself being laid down on something comfy, probably Tails' couch.

"Amy, can you hear us?" Tails asked.

"Amy?" Cream whimpered. "Amy? Are you there?"

She didn't hear Sonic say anything, but judging from the fact that she no longer saw red behind her eyelids, but a cool gray, the room's lighting was dim. It was safe to open her eyes. Amy's eyelids fluttered as she cautiously tested the lighting, and then they opened, but only halfway. She realized she was lying, not straight like an arrow, but with her legs bent, one lying on the other, and one arm resting casually over her stomach and the other dangling off the end of the couch. She was slightly angles away from the couch, so she saw the room and not the ceiling. Tails and Cream were kneeling before her, concern dancing around in their blue and brown eyes. Both fox and rabbit brightened up considerably at the sight of her waking up.

But where was Sonic?

Amy's eyes scanned the room for him and finally she saw him sitting in a chair at the dining room table, his head resting in her hands. He looked devastated, and it broke her heart. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but nothing came out.

Cream spoke instead. "Amy!" she squealed, relieved beyond belief. She threw herself into Amy's arms, clutching her so tight, all the breath was squeezed out of Amy's chest. Amy found her voice.

"Cream...," she gasped, wheezing. "Need...to...breathe..."

Sonic's head lifted from his hands at the sound of her voice. As soon as his eyes met Amy's, a huge smile broke across his face. Cream tore herself away from Amy to hug Tails right at that moment, and Sonic took advantage of it, rushing over and wrapping his arms around his body.

"Amy...jeez!" he cried happily. "I was so worried!"

Amy giggled, hugging him back. "Sorry for worrying you," she apologized. I honestly don't know what happened."

Sonic kissed her cheek with much enthusiasm. "Well, whatever happened, I'm glad you're okay!" He helped her off the couch so she could stand on her feet. "Don't you remember anything though? Anything at all?"

Amy's mind drifted back to the night before. What had happened that night? Had she really met a ghost, or had it been some crazy, whacked-up dream? If it had just been a dream, then there was no point in saying anything and worrying everyone just after the last crisis ended. For cripes sake, Knuckles almost DIED. Amy decided she would keep her mouth shut for the moment.

"Not really...," she mumbled, looking at the wall behind him.

Sonic squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Well, whatever happened, let's hope it doesn't happen again," he said, smiling. Amy blushed.

Suddenly, Knuckles burst though the front door, his eyes wild. "GUYS! COME QUICK IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" he yelled, freaked.

"What's wrong, Knuckles?" Tails asked, his tone sounded concerned.

Knuckles grabbed Tails by the shoulders and started shaking him violently. "ROUGEWASATTACKEDLASTNIGHTWEGOTTAHURRY!" he babbled, all his words slurring together so that nobody could understand him.

Tails' eyes were rolling around in his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sonic said, holding out his hands. "Slow down, Knuxter! _What_ happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Knuckles composed himself. "Rouge was attacked last night!" he said, shuddering. "Come on! We have to help her!"

"WHAT?!" Amy shrieked. "Rouge was-?" She didn't finish her sentence, but instead pushed her way past her friends, making a beeline for the door. Halfway there, she stumbled from her instability. She would have fallen to the floor, but Sonic caught her before she did, helped her maintain herself, and since he knew she didn't want to waste any time, sped her all the way to Rouge's cabin. When they got there, the door was open, so they rushed inside without knocking.

Sonic placed Amy on her feet once they were through the doorway and then Knuckles came up behind her, grabbed her arm, and dragged her all the way into Rouge's bedroom. He was saying something about a bag and a rope, but Amy was too panicked to really pay any attention. Everything was going so slowly, like time was being affected by chaos control. They got to Rouge's bedroom, and the moment Amy's eyes found the bat, she shrieked.

Rouge was lying on the bed, on her stomach like she had collapsed there. There were bruises all up her arms and she had a black eye and bloody lip. Beside the bed was a chair with rope hanging loosely around it. A bag lay on the floor and the room was trashed.

Amy stumbled over to Rouge's limp body, gripping the bed for support. "Rouge, what HAPPENED?!"

Rouge coughed turbulently. "No idea, sugar," she whispered hoarsely. "All I know is I was on my way to bed when something really heavy hit me in the back of the head. Next thing I know, I 'm waking up in a chair, tied up, gagged, and Knuckles is frantically pulling a bag off my head."

Knuckles huffed. "If I ever find who did this...," he growled.

"Did you see anything?" Amy asked.

"Nah," he frowned. "Not really. I know if I hadn't shown up when I did, Rouge would have probably died or somethin' because I saw someone jumping out the window when I opened the door, like I'd caused them to run off."

"What did you see? Who was it?" Amy pestered, slightly unnerved.

Knuckles shrugged. "Dunno. I wasn't really looking. I was more interested in saving Rouge before the bag suffocated her." He took Rouge's hand and helped her sit up.

Amy got to her feet. "I think I'm gonna go home now...," she stated, her eyes blank.

Sonic turned to her, his brow creased with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy reassured him. "I just need to...go get my first aid kit so I can tend to Rouge's injuries. I'll be back in a little bit. You can come over later if you want."

"Sure!" Sonic grinned jovially. "I'm visiting Tails today, so I'll visit you after I leave."

"Cool," Amy nodded. "Call me when you're coming. Love ya!" She rushed out of the house.

...xxx...xxx...

Amy didn't stop running until she was safely behind the locked door of her house. She then pressed her back against the door and slid down to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"Oh my gosh," Amy whispered vaguely. "Rouge...did_ I_ do this?!" She crushed her fists against her mouth as the tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking her gloves.

"What have I done...what have I done...!?" Amy bawled helplessly. "I'm a monster! A MONSTER!" She hid her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking intensely.

"I'm so weak...I let that stupid ghost possess me last night, and now Rouge almost _died_..." The girl wiped her eyes, but it did no good. "I can't believe what I...what I've done..." Something was telling her it wasn't her fault, that the ghost had overpowered her, but she pushed the thought away. She could have - _should_ have - been stronger. She could have fought back. She should have run for the hills as soon as she saw Spirit in her house instead of making fun of it.

This was all her fault.

...xxx...xxx...

The rest of Amy's day appeared before her in black and white. She nursed Rouge, bandaging her up (while trying to ignore the nagging guilt pulsing in the back of her mind) and then made her a nice lunch before she left. Sonic met her on her way home and they spent some time together, but Amy felt like she was forcing herself to be happy, to make him laugh, to pretend everything was alright. If he suspected, he didn't say anything. He probably _had,_ so Amy was glad he didn't say anything_._ After Sonic left, Amy decided to just go to bed. Maybe if Spirit came back and she was asleep, it'd leave her alone.

Amy had been lying in bed trying to sleep for three hours with no result, but she was determined not to give up.

"Come on, Amy," Amy hissed threateningly to herself. "Fall asleep. So it's only six in the afternoon. So what? Fall. Asleep!"

"You know, there's a mental institution just a couple miles away if you feel your talking to yourself is becoming a problem."

"OH GAH." Amy threw off her covers and fell off her bed out of shock. When she peeped back up, she saw Spirit hovering on the other side of the bed looking smug.

"YOU!" Amy accused, staggering to her feet and pointing at Spirit angrily. "You used me to hurt Rouge last night! Right? How could you! She's my friend! Ugh, I can't believe you! What, were you some kind of psychopath when you were alive?"

Spirit crossed its ghostly arms. "Actually, I was a psychologist when I was alive and by the looks of it, you could use one."

"You hurt my friend!" Amy yelled, unrelenting. "_You're_ the one who needs a psychologist!"

"You're right," Spirit sighed. "I did hurt your little bat friend. But..." It shrugged loosely. "Oh well. That's just what I do." The ghost smirked evilly. "And anyway...your little fox friend is next."

Amy gasped, backing into the wall. "No!" she cried. "Not_ Tails_!" The hedgehog summoned her hammer and held it out in front of her. "Don't you even try!"

Spirit floated towards her. "You can't stop me, Amy," it said, reaching for her.

Amy hurled her hammer at the ghost. "NO!" The hammer smacked into the ghost, sending it flying backwards a few feet, but it kept coming.

"You can't stop me..."

"Yes I can!" Amy grabbed the window and lifted it up. "I can escape!" She started to climb through it but Spirit was suddenly right behind her and had taken her by her arms and swung her around. Spirit shoved her to the ground so hard she slid a couple feet before bumping into the wall with her head.

Spirit shut the window. "You can't run, Amy," it grinned wickedly. "You can't stop me."

"I KNOW!" Amy shrieked, frustrated. "You've said that _three times_ already!"

"Then why fight me?" The ghost was floating towards her.

"Because I can at least try!" Amy summoned another hammer and threw it at Spirit. Then she summoned another and threw it, too. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Spirit lunged for her, laughing so hard the room filled to the top with the same weird fog from before.

_"I win, Amy...I told you that you couldn't stop me..."_

"NOOOOOOOO!"

**Wow...I didn't like this chapter at all. Wayyy too spooky. And weird.**

**Then again, this IS a Halloween story (and Halloween was, like, six months ago...lol)**

**Well, PEACE OUT! I just watched Billy Madison by Adam Sandler (:DDD) and so now I am sooooo happy :))))**

**Night!**


	11. The Longest Night Ever

**Okay, so the set up of this chapter is a bit different from what you guys are used to when it comes to my writing. This chapter is one scene divided into three character's points of view. I don't know why I did it like this, I just thought it would be cool. **Each scene is linked by one thing, too, which I also thought was pretty cool.****

**And it is.**

**Not.**

**Uhh...yeah, here you go...**

Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest belong to Sega

- Hazard Island -

Moonlight from the pale white moon poured down on the sandy beach as slow, gentle waves crashed along its rim. Sitting in a ray of light with his short-ish black legs lying in the water, Shadow stared across the rippling ocean, allowing the waves to circle around him during their farthest journeys up the beach. His dark red eyes watched the seas, not with interest, but with deep thought.

"What is my purpose out here?" Shadow asked the sea. "What was the point of coming? It's Eggman that is causing all these haunted happenings, anyone could figure that much out, but how am I supposed to find him? What if he's not even here?"

The sea's response was a very aggressive wave that actually pushed him a little farther up the beach, as if trying to shove him away from its waters.

Not an encouraging answer.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Shadow's ears perked up and he hopped to his feet._ Again_ with the screaming girls at night? (At least, he thought it had been a girl...) Did he have to do _everything_ for this stupid team? Annoyed, he sat back down, crossing his arms rebelliously. No, _they_ could handle it tonight.

A couple seconds later, a very sickening thump several yards away caught his attention, followed by a seriously loud groan of pain.

"Ugh, can I not get ONE. MOMENT'S. PEACE?!" Shadow cried out angrily. The black hedgehog skated over to the cabins and started furiously scanning the area, ready to release all his rage on the first thing that looked like it needed a beating.

Movement near one of the cabins caught his eye and he whirled around. However, when he ran over to it, his fists ready, he saw nothing. Shadow skated around the cabins, in and out and everything, but there was nothing to be seen. What had happened? Maybe it hadn't been an emergency at all. He wanted to friggin' beat the snot out of _some_thing! Shadow skated over to Sonic's cabin and rammed the toe of his shoe into the wall.

"OW!" the hedgehog grunted, jumping back like a startled rabbit. "That actually hurt!" He rubbed his aching foot. "Note to self: Don't kick anymore walls."

Now wary thanks to the intrusion, and even more angry than ever about not getting to pummel anyone, Shadow headed back over to the beach, casting one last suspicious, crimson eye towards the row of cabins before plopping himself back down.

"Something is seriously wrong with this island," Shadow told the sea with a huff. His answer was another disheartening push back towards the cabins.

...xxx...xxx...

Meanwhile, at Sonic's house, the blue hedgehog was sleeping on the floor next to his bed, having fallen off of it from lack of experience of _ever_ using a bed. A tickling sensation jolted him awake and when he saw a really creepy cockroach skittering up his arm, he yelped, shaking his arm frantically.

"Ugh, that is SO gross!" Sonic whined, rubbing his arm. He looked around suddenly. "Why am I on the floor?"

The blue hedgehog dragged himself back on the bed, but now he couldn't sleep. And it was all thanks to that _stupid_ cockroach.

"Maybe a quick run will help," Sonic wondered. Just the thought of speeding around cheered him up. He immediately sprung to his feet, a bounce in his step, and zoomed out of his bedroom and out of the house.

After about a dozen ten second laps around the island, Sonic skidded to a stop near the cabins, feeling much more upbeat then he'd been two minutes ago. But just as he was passing by Rouge's cabin and nearing Tails', he heard a scream that nearly knocked him off his feet with surprise.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

"Mother of Chaos!" Sonic gasped. "That came from Tails' house!" An image of Rouge's bruised and bloodied figure flashed across his mind. The bat was then replaced by a bruised and bloodied fox.

Was Tails being attacked?!

Teeth gritted, Sonic sped through the open front door (open?!) and felt his way through the darkness as he tried to find Tails' room.

A voice coming from his right caught his attention as he was stumbling through the living room. It wasn't Tails' voice.

"Hey, who's in there?" Sonic yelled, fury laced in every word "Tails?!"

"Shoot," he heard someone mutter. Then he heard the screech of a window opening as he walked through Tails' bedroom door. When he spotted the window, he saw, for a split second, someone disappear through it. Too bad the lights were off, because all he saw was a flash of...what was that...red? A wounded grunt followed. He quickly sped over and looked around, but it was too dark to see anything except an escaping shadow vanishing behind the cabins.

He could have chased it. He might have even caught it. But Tails was much more important. Turning, Sonic saw a drugged Tails lying limp in a chair, ropes around his body. He wasn't injured in the least, and there wasn't a bag over his head like Knuckles had said Rouge had had. In fact, other then the fox being unconscious and tied up, he seemed fine.

Self-assured, Sonic walked over to his buddy and was about to grab the ropes when a crackle under his shoe stopped him. He lifted up his foot. Crushed into the floor was the remains of a ripped plastic bag.

Ripped? Why would it be ripped?

Sonic crouched down, picking up the shreds in his hands and inspecting them. "This wasn't an accident," he mumbled. "An accident would have been one, maybe two rips. This bag has been ripped into little bitty pieces." He stood up and looked out the window, narrowing his eyes in the direction the mysterious figure had gone.

...xxx...xxx...

Now, let's rewind about ten minutes and find out just what happened...

Amy opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness. What the heck? Was she back at home? Had she actually fallen asleep after all and never fought with that stupid ghost? But if that was true, then why did she feel like she was moving?

Looking around, Amy realized she was in someone's cabin, but it wasn't hers and she wasn't controlling her own actions. Something, or some_one_, was choosing her actions for her. It was like she was...

Possessed?

But that meant that last night_ had_ happened! That meant Spirit, that stupid, _stupid_ spirit, was inside her _right now_ and was taking her...somewhere...she knew where but she couldn't remember...Spirit had said it once...but her fogged brain was too exhausted and drained from the possession to think about it.

Amy instantly knew she would never watch Danny Phantom in the same way ever again.** (Woo! Danny! ;D)**

The pink hedgehog watched with horror as _her own_ hand picked up a bag and rope from someone's counter and_ her own_ legs walked across the house and _her own_ eyes searched the windows for anybody who might be watching.

What was she _doing_?

And then, as she watched herself enter someone's bedroom and saw Tails sleeping like a baby on his bed, wrapped up in his blanket like a friggin' mummy, it hit her.

Spirit was going to kill Tails.

"No!" Amy cried from within herself. "No! You can't do this!" She struggled inwardly, thrashing about and trying to regain her own senses again.

Spirit's answer came to her through her thoughts, and not through Amy's mouth, _"Stop it, you little weasel. _I'm_ in control, not you." _Already the horrible ghost had injected Tails with some kind of sedative, placed him on a chair, and was tying him up.

"No! No, you're not!" Amy screamed. "This is _my_ body and I want you OUT!"

Using every ounce of willpower and strength she still possessed, Amy thrust her arm forward just as Amy/Spirit thrust its to cover Tails' head with the bag. Amy/Spirit's arm stopped in midair, the bag dangling from Amy/Spirit's fingers.

Amy pulled her arm back and mentally celebrated as Amy/Spirit's arm came back as well.

_"What...what are you doing?!"_ Spirit gasped.

"Stopping you," Amy grinned. She grabbed the bag with both hands, feeling the strain of doing so in the center of her forehead (if it was even hers anymore), and pulled apart with everything she had, ripping the bag right in half.

_"Stop it! How are you doing this?!"_ Spirit screamed.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut. Spirit was fighting back, trying to regain control again, but Amy was strong. Amy tore the bag in several places so that it was unable to be reused and then let it fall to the floor.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Spirit's screech of rage was so loud and so _angry_, the ghost accidentally used Amy's mouth, even though it's _own_ inhuman voice could be heard. Amy, who had just grabbed the ropes around Tails to tear them off, froze. Spirit's anger had given it just the right amount of power to take over the poor girl's senses again.

Amy cried out with pain as the power of being in command of her own body was ripped right out of her. It was a horrible feeling, like mixing going completely numb and being left to die. The shock of it hit her all at once, causing her to faint inside herself.

Amy/Spirit grinned. "Good, now that she's out of the picture, I can finish-"

"Hey, who's in there?" a tempestuous male voice boomed from the living room. "Tails?!"

"Shoot," Amy/Spirit cursed under its breath. Quickly, the ghost forced Amy's form to sprint over to the window, open it, and hurl herself through it. Amy's back hit the grass, causing a jolt of pain to shoot up Amy/Spirit's spine, and she grunted as she rolled forward. The possessed pink hedgehog staggered to her feet, one hand on her throbbing back, and limped away as fast as she could. As she passed one of the cabins, she saw a black hedgehog standing with his back to her a few feet away.

_'Wow, these guys are really on their guard,'_ Spirit thought as it dragged Amy's injured body behind a cabin at the exact moment that Shadow whirled around. Not in the mood to get caught, Amy/Spirit climbed through Amy's window (which was thankfully_ right_ there) and fell on the floor, causing another flash of pain to render her helpless, this time coming from her stomach and her knee, which had scraped the bottom on the window as she'd creeped through it.

"Man, I'd forgotten what pain was like," Spirit groaned, weakly crawling across the rug. "I forgot how _awful_ it is, and how feeble and accident-prone the Mobian body is..." It knew if Amy was in control, she would have merely disregarded the trauma with a wave of her hand and kept going. Amy seemed to be like that. It was like pain had no effect on her whatsoever. However, Spirit had gone a good many years without feeling a thing, so it was totally unprepared to relive everything it'd lost.

In the end, Spirit ran out of energy, partly from her mental battle with Amy and partly from her escape back to Amy's cabin, and fell flat on the carpet, unconscious.

As soon as Amy's body was asleep, Spirit pulled itself out of her body and let out a relieved sigh.

"Jeez, that was horrible!" Spirit moaned, grabbing its head. "Tomorrow I'm going to be more careful."

It looked down at Amy's sleeping form. "Maybe I should...?" Spirit shook its unassailable head. "Nah. Amy will be fine. She'll probably wake up before anyone else shows, so no one will find her on the floor and suspect anything." Confident with itself and its (brainless) logic, Spirit floated out of the room.

...xxx...xxx...

After untying Tails and lying him down as gently as possible on his bed, Sonic reluctantly left him alone to go wake everyone up. He would have waited until morning, but he was worried the attacker might strike again, and this time succeed. He needed everyone to know that this was more serious then they might have previously thought.

The first place he went to was Amy's **(duhhh)**. When he found her bed empty, he began to panic, thinking she'd been kidnapped again. The blue hedgehog rushed out of her bedroom, heart pounding wildly. He calmed down, but only slightly, when he found her lying motionless on the living room floor.

"Man, has she picked up sleepwalking or something?" Sonic asked the air, which didn't answer. He knelt beside her and shook her softly.

It took a second, but eventually Amy opened her blurry eyes. Just like the last time she'd been possessed, Amy was very disoriented, but not nearly as much. This time, she was able to grab Sonic's hand and allow him to haul her to her feet. However, she wasn't able to _stay_ on her feet, so when he let her go of her, she toppled forward, falling into his shoulder. Her arms locked around his middle out of instinct.

Sonic laughed. "Amy, do I have to nail you to your bed?" he asked playfully, assisting her in straightening herself up.

"Uuuhhhh...," Amy groaned, her head lolling back.

"Amy, there's these great things people use. They're called words," Sonic said. "You should try using them some time."

"Unhh...," was her response. "What time is it?"

"7pm," Sonic told her. "Now come _on, _you lazy butt. Tails was just attacked! We need to wake everyone up!"

"No, we don't..."

"Ugh, you are so _lazy _at night!" Sonic complained. "Fine, I'll carry you."

"Fine with me," Amy grinned, suddenly very happy. Sonic let out a really loud groan, but still picked her up off the ground, cradling her in his arms. She poked his annoyed face, giggling.

"That's...my face," Sonic said, glaring at her.

"Oh trust me, I know. And it's adorable when you're annoyed at me, by the way. Now MUSH!" Amy joked, beaming.

Shooting one last glare at her - one that had a lot less annoyance in it and more love - Sonic took off out of the house to wake everyone up.

...xxx...xxx...

Ten minutes later, everyone was standing in Tails' bedroom in their pajamas **(they seem to do that a lot, don't they? ;P)**. Rouge and Knuckles were inspecting the remains of the bag, Rouge giving Knuckles her expert G.U.N. opinion on why she thought it was the way it was. Rose was lying asleep on the couch next to Rouge, for it was _way_ past her bedtime and not even this kind of event would wake her up. Cream was standing by Tails' bed, Cheese hovering by her side, tears rimming both their eyes. Over by the door, Sonic was pacing back and forth, muttering curses and his thoughts of revenge. Finally, Amy, feeling very awkward, stood by the wall saying nothing.

"There are many reasons why this bag could have been ripped," Rouge said to Sonic, who instantly stopped pacing and whirled around to face her. "First off, the attacker could have done this, Tails could have done this, or someone else could have."

"Which do you think it was?!" Sonic urged, waving his arms around.

"How should _I_ know?" Rouge scoffed. "I. Wasn't. There!"

"But you're a top agent for G.U.N.!" Sonic wailed. "How could you _not_ know?! Weren't you _specifically_ trained to find out things like this?"

Rouge shrugged. "I guess...," she said. "Honestly, I don't think the attacker did this. Even if he or she had a bad temper and got frustrated easily, he or she wouldn't have done_this_ to their own weapon of choice. Judging from how inconspicuous he or she is, he or she is a lot smarter than we think and wouldn't have ripped their own bag!"

Knuckles looked at her. "Why are you so smart?" he asked, pursing his lips. "Stop it. STOP."

Rouge flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I was born this way..."

Sonic wasn't very amused. "_Come on_, so we've ruled out the attacker! Do you think it was Tails? Maybe he fought back!" The blue hedgehog swung a left jab at the air as if impersonating Tails in self-defense mode.

"No. Well..._maybe_," Rouge said. "As you can see, the attacker put him to sleep before doing anything. It's _possible_ he could have fought back before that, but _not_ likely."

"STOPPP." Rouge rolled her eyes, smiling at the jealous echidna's outburst.

"Wait..." Sonic raised an eyebrow. "So, it was someone else? Who else could have been here with the attacker?"

Amy bit her lip and looked at the floor, whistling innocently under her breath.

"How in the name of all things shiny am_ I_ supposed to know?!" Rouge cried, waving her arms in his face. "I don't know _everything_!"

"Well, maybe we should start ruling people out," Cream said, speaking for the first time. She wiped away tears that no one even knew she was so upset. "I mean, it wasn't Tails, so you can scratch him off the list."

"Noooo," Knuckles said sarcastically. "Reeeeally? How did you figure _that_ one out?"

Rouge slapped his arm. "Zip it, echidna, leave the girl alone."

Knuckles looked down. "Yes, _dear_," he muttered, still sarcastic.

"Alright, so Tails was the victim," Sonic said, going down a mental list. "Rouge didn't do it, or she wouldn't have helped us figure this out. _I_ didn't do it..."

"How do we know that?" Knuckles shot at him. "It could have been you!"

Sonic smacked him in the back of the head. "Seriously? Do you want me to accuse _you_? Because right now, you're looking _reeeally_ guilty to me!"

Knuckles flailed his arms around angrily. "WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP HITTING ME?!"

Amy kicked him in the side. "Because it's fun."

The echidna fell over. "_Gahhh_...I hate you all!"

"No you don't," Rouge smirked.

Knuckles' face flamed red. "...true...but...agh, just...shut up..." Rouge giggled.

"Stop it! All of you!" Sonic ordered, showing his annoyance by stomping his foot. "We are trying to find out who tried to hurt _my little brother_ here! Help _out_!"

"Okay! _Okay_!" Rouge said. "_Calm_ yourself. So Tails, Sonic, me..."

"Hold it," Knuckles interrupted again. "How do we know-?"

"Because I was the first to be attacked, you dingy!" Rouge yelled. "Do you think I attacked myself?!"

"Oh."

"ANYWAY," Rouge huffed. "Tails, Sonic, me, Amy..."

"WAIT!" Knuckles said. "How-?"

"KNUCKLES!" Sonic groaned, covering his eyes. "Don't even _think_ about accusing Amy! She couldn't have done it, she was asleep when I got to her house." He didn't mention that she'd been on the living room floor to spare Amy's pride.

"Hey, you know Amy has been really quiet this entire time," Knuckles pointed out. "What's the deal, Amy? _Blaze_ got your tongue?"

Amy glared at him. "I don't feel well," she stated. It was true, she really didn't. All this stress was affecting her stomach and she felt like puking. "Now...just...go lie down over there and leave me alone, Knucklebrain."

Knuckles was apparently in a rebellious mood since he stood up instead lying down. "You don't feel well." He eyed her up and down suspiciously. "You look fine to me."

Amy's worn, red and white boot slammed between the echidna's legs. Hard. Knuckles' hands shot to his groin and he cried out, tears springing in his violet-shaded eyes.

"There," Amy said, huffing. "I want you to imagine the pain you are feeling, times it by two, and then transfer it to your stomach. Then you'll understand that I. Don't. Feel. Well!"

"Okay...," Knuckles squeaked. "I believe you..." He then fell onto the floor and curled up in a ball, moaning.

"Alright then," Rouge said. "Tails, Sonic, me, Amy, Cream..." She shot Knuckles a pointed glare, as if daring him to interrupt, but he was too busy groaning to care. "Cheese, I guess...you don't seem like you would do this either..."

"Chao, chao!" Cheese chaoed indignantly, crossing its arms.

"Cheese agrees with you," Cream translated. "And so do I."

"...Cheese, Knuckles...," Rouge continued, "so who else is there?"

"Shadow," Sonic spoke up, suddenly furious. "Shadow! That faker! That _imposter_! ARGH! I bet this was him! I bet he did ALL of this! I'll kill him!" By now he was jumping up and down, waving his fists around. "I'll_ kill_ him!"

"Calm _down_!" Rouge shouted impatiently. "It wasn't Shadow, you _ditz_. Shadow wouldn't have done this, I know him."

"Do you?" Sonic challenged. "How _well_ do you know him?"

Rouge folded her arms. "Pretty well," she said. "I _am_ his partner at G.U.N. after all."

"Maybe it was Dr. Eggman!" Cream said, sounding scared.

"That's a good point, Cream," Rouge said politely. "But no. I don't think it was him this time. He's too fat to have been able to escape in time before getting caught. I think we might be dealing with something else. Something worse. After all, Eggman may be evil, but suffocation isn't really his _style_."

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do right now," Amy said suddenly. "So, why don't we all just go back home and see if it strikes again?" _'Maybe this time I can fight it off, then I won't have to tell anyone what happened and everything will go back to normal...'_

"Because then it might actually succeed!" Sonic said. "I mean, what if _Cream_ is next? Or _you_? Or _Rose_?"

"We could stick together," Rouge suggested. "You know, all of us in the same cabin."

"I don't know...," Amy said worriedly. "I'm kinda claustrophobic..." _'Gah, I can't have them staying with me! That darned ghost might win me over, and then kill them all at once! I won't let that happen. I won't!'_

"What else can we do?" Cream asked. "What if Mr. Sonic is right and I'm next? I don't wanna be next!" She broke down into tears.

"We could pair up!" Sonic said, grinning, to comfort the six year old. "That way there isn't a bunch of us in one house and we can still protect each other."

"What a great idea!" Cream cheered.

"I agree," Rouge smiled. "I'm partnering with Knuxie!" She picked up Rose from off the couch, who was still asleep as she prepared to leave.

Knuckles, who was still on the floor, let out a loud wail of pain. "Great!" he whimpered. "Then get me home, please, because I don't think I'm ever going to have any children when I grow up..."

"Knuckles, you're eighteen. You ARE a grown-up," Rouge smirked. "Like me..."

"Oh yeah." So much pain was clouding Knuckles' brain that he didn't catch the not-so-hidden suggestiveness in the comment.

Cream latched onto Tails' bed. "I'm staying with Tails," she announced. Cheese grabbed Cream's arm as if agreeing.

"But what if that attacker freak comes back?" Sonic asked, touching her shoulder. "How will you defend yourself?"

"I can fight," Cream defended, reaching out to grip Tails' limp hand. "I'll fight for Tails. And when he's strong enough, he'll fight for me." There was enough faith in her tone to power an entire military army.

"Well, maybe you_ both_ should stay with Amy and me tonight, just to be sure," Sonic said kindly.

Amy perked up, eyes wide. "Wait._ What_?!"

Sonic looked over at the blushing Amy and winked. "Aw, come on, Ames, it'll be fun! Did you expect me to pick someone else over you?"

_'Well, I guess I can't blame him there...'_ "Well, no...," Amy swallowed. "Okay, I guess it'll be okay, Sonic." She forced herself to cheer up. She knew Sonic was only doing this because he loved her, not because he wanted to hurt her. He didn't deserve any bad treatment when he was just being himself, even if this whole thing might be putting him in danger.

But Cream wasn't so willing (not that Amy was very willing herself). "Mr. Sonic, I don't want to impose...," she began.

"Nonsense!" Sonic washed away her worries with a wave of his hand. "It'll be fine. Trust me!"

"Well...if you're sure...," Cream mumbled timidly.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! I'm always sure!"

"...sure."

_'Wait, Cream, too?! No! That's _way_ too much! Cream could get seriously hurt!'_ "No!" Amy argued suddenly. "_Nobody's_ sure! NOBODY. Cream and Tails are fine here."

"...are you sure?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"ARGH!" Knuckles groaned. "STOP. SAYING. THE WORD. SURE!"

"Suurrree...," Rouge drawled out. "That's a funny word. Suuurrrrrreeeee..."

"Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"I agree with Knuckles!" Amy yelled. A beat. "Wow, I never thought I'd say_ that_." She shook her head. "But really, I'm _SURE_. You've seen Cream in action; she can fend for herself. And once Tails is up, so can he."

"You're sure?" Knuckles smirked. "I thought you said NO ONE was sure."

Amy bopped him on the head with her fist. "Silence. Think about your future children."

The color drained from Knuckles' face. "I retract my previous statement."

"I'm with Amy!" Cream said happily, wanting _very_ much (for her own personal reasons) to be alone with Tails. **(GAH, GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER PEOPLE, SHE'S _SIX_)**

Sonic folded his arms stubbornly. "I don't know..."

"I DO know." Amy folded her arms as well.

"I DON'T."

"I DO."

"Omg, Rouge!" Knuckles gossiped, mocking a really preppy teenage girl. "It's Sonic and Amy's first official fight EVER! Omg omg omg!"

"SHUT UP, KNUCKLES!" Both Sonic and Amy roared, fire burning in their eyes.

"And...now they're agreeing again..." Knuckles cowered away, covering his face. "Spare me!"

Rouge whipped out her phone. "Omg, Knuckles!" she laughed, copying his girly voice. "You're about to get pummeled by your ultimate rival and his girlfriend!" She took a picture. "Say cheese!"

"Chao!" Cheese squealed, popping in front of the camera.

"Guys, stop yelling!" Cream begged. "Please! We're here to help Tails, not turn against each other!"

"I'M NOT TURNING AGAINST_ ANYONE_!" Knuckles screamed angrily.

"Eh...!" Cream whimpered, tearing up at his loud voice and flinching away.

"Hey, don't yell at Cream!" Rouge scolded. "She's _twelve years_ younger than you!"

"I can yell at whomever I want!" Knuckles bellowed.

"Well, NOT at CREAM!" Rouge glared. "I mean, SERIOUSLY."

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

"I CAN TELL YOU WHATEVER I WANT! FREEDOM OF SPEECH, MAN!"

"OH, WHERE'D YOU PULL THAT COMEBACK OUT OF?!"

"THE CONSTITUTION, DING-DONG!"

Sonic looked at Amy. Amy looked at Sonic. They both burst out laughing.

Both Rouge and Knuckles turned on the hedgehog couple. "WHAT ARE _YOU TWO_ LAUGHING AT?!"

"You guys!" Sonic chuckled. "Your banter is HILARIOUS!"

"SAYS YOU!" Knuckles snarled, punching him in the face.

Amy's laughter ceased and she was on her feet in a flash, her piko piko hammer out and on _FIAH_. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SONIKKU, YOU GAY RED FREAK ON STEROIDS!"

"**STEROIDS**?!" Knuckles shrieked. "**I _EARNED _THESE MUSCLES,** _**PINKY**_!"

"**HOW**?!" Amy shouted sarcastically. "**WITH SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANT'S INFLATABLE ANCHOR ARMS**?!" **(watch MuscleBob BuffPants ;3)**

_**"EVERYBODY SHUUUTTTTTT UPPPPPPP!"**_

The whole room went dead silent. The Sonic Team slowly turned their heads in the direction of the incredibly loud scream.

Rose was sitting, wide awake, on Tails' bedroom couch, looking _quite_ angry.

Confused, Rouge looked at her arms (now empty), and then looked at Rose. Then back at her arms. Then back at Rose.

"...Rose, how did you get on the couch?" she asked in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard.

"While ALL YOU GUYS were SCREAMING at each other, I crept over here in an attempt to block out the noise with a pillow," Rose growled. "It didn't work. OBVIOUSLY. As soon as Knuckles and Amy started SHRIEKING about STEROIDS, whatever that is, and MUSCLES, I couldn't take it anymore!" She hopped off the couch, her little arms on her hips. "I'm a FOUR YEAR OLD GIRL. I need my BEAUTY SLEEP or else THIS" She gestured towards her face. "WILL NOT BE BEAUTIFUL. And you DO NOT want to MESS WITH ME when I'M. NOT. BEAUTIFUL."

It was so quiet in the room, Amy swore if someone had_ blinked_ she would have heard it.

"...All of you guys are here..._why_?!" Rose asked.

It was a rhetorical question, but Knuckles was an idiot, so...

"...to argue?" the echidna asked weakly.

Rose threw a pillow at his head. Strangely, he actually acted like it had hurt.

"WHAT WAS_ IN_ THAT THING?!"

"You don't wanna know." The sky blue hedgehog cleared her throat. "ANYWAY. The answer is, you are here to be there for Tails while he is UNCONSCIOUS and to PROTECT him and the REST of you guys from WHATEVER THE BLEEBLOB did this! And what are you doing instead?! ARGUING? TURNING _AGAINST_ EACH OTHER?!"

"Getting hit with killer pillows...," Knuckles grumbled. His answer was another pillow to the head, knocking him over.

"This is NOT the way to go about this!" Rose yelled. "And it's really actually very SAD that I - A FOUR. YEAR. OLD - have to bring you all back on track. What kind of SICK WORLD is this?!"

Everyone (except Knuckles, whom was now unconscious), looked down, ashamed.

"We're sorry, Rose," Sonic mumbled. "I feel like the WORST. HERO. EVER. We should have been there for Tails, instead of screaming insults at each other."

"I'm sorry, too," Rouge added, mumbling so that no one heard but Cream because she has those huge floppy bunny ears.

"Me, too," Cream sighed.

"I'm sorry as well...but I still blame Knuckles," Amy said stubbornly.

"Don't we all...," Rose agreed.

"I don't!" Knuckles spoke up, waking up just in time to hear everyone insulting him...AGAIN.

"Nobody cares," Amy huffed, pushing him away with the toe of her foot.

"Jeez, it seems like everyone hates me _more than usual_ ever since I _almost died_!" Knuckles moaned, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Wow, you're right...," Amy said slowly. "It does seem that way, doesn't it..." She shrugged. "Oh well."

"You really hate me, don't you," Knuckles glared.

"Nah, not really, you're just fun to annoy," Amy grinned. "You get angry so easily."

The echidna eyed Amy suspiciously. "That sounded like something Sonic would say..." He gasped. "YOU'VE TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE!"

Amy laughed. "The_ Dark Side_? Do you want me to get you a cookie, too?"

"...yes."

Giggling, Amy rolled her eyes. "Don't count on it, buddy," she smirked. "My _amazing_ cooking AND my cookies are for Sonic and Sonic _ONLY_."

Sonic grinned. "Heh."

Knuckles, however, snapped his fingers. "Dang it."

"Getting back on track...," Rose frowned, tapping her foot impatiently and cocking one of her pillows as if it were a shotgun.

"Um, YES," Knuckles said loudly. "Let's all, uh, calm down now, and...um...eat some KFC!"

"KFC?! WHERE!?" Rouge gasped, whirling around.

"Nowhere, I was just saying what I thought the little runt - I MEAN, ROSE - wanted to hear."

"Guys!" Rose groaned, slapping her forehead with her palm. "You get distracted SO EASILY."

"Actually," Amy argued, "we would totally be on track right now if it was up to us, but the author is in a really distracted mood, and her and her little writing helper are really getting off topic because they're super _tired_ and want to go to bed. But the chapter isn't over yet, and so they continue to write and write and write random stuff."

"Wait, what?" Sonic asked, scratching his head.

"Sorry, forget I said anything."

"Come on, everyone," Cream spoke up nervously. "I think we should be getting back to our own cabins now. It's 9pm and I'm starting to get lightheaded from all this chattering." She yawned. "Please...can we just...go home...?"

"Oh my gosh, we've been here for_ two_ whole_ hours_?!" Rouge cried, horrified. "I LEFT A CASSEROLE IN THE OVEN!" Stumbling for the exit, the bat tripped over Knuckles whom was lying on the ground by the door (WHY?!).

"KNUCKLES!"

"Hey, YOU TRIPPED OVER _ME_!" Knuckles whined. "I was just lying here by the door in front of this room's only exit, minding my own business. It was YOUR DECISION to come running over and trip over me!"

"WHY I OUTTA-!"

"REALLY?!" Rose cried. "REALLY. After that WHOLE speech I gave about turning against each other, you STILL continue to argue!"

Amy patted Rose's shoulder. "Just let it go, Rose," she sighed. "There will never EVER be a day when Knuckles and Rouge don't fight over SOMETHING."

Hearing this, Rouge smirked. "Speaking of which...hey, Knuxie, how's that Master Emerald of yours doing?"

"**_IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON MY EMERALD, WOMAN-_**!"

"And if I do...?" Rouge flirted.

Knuckles' face was so **_red_** he looked like he was going to explode. Like, no joke. "**_YOU BETTER NOT_**!"

"It's still being guarded by the Chaotix, remember?" Rouge grinned. "How well do you think they're taking care of it? I'd guess, not well at all..." She leaned down close. "Espio's probably invited all his little ninja friends to a Big Ninja Master Emerald Party with lots of _MESSY_ Ninja Crackers, spilling Ninja Punch all over your shrine, and leaving Ninja Cracker crumbs on your precious sleeping stairs..."

She pulled him to his feet and stood behind him, allowing him to imagine everything she was saying. "And Charmy...hyper, crazy, creepy, insane, annoying, disgusting, sugar-rushed, weird little Charmy the Bee. Probably buzzing around the Emerald, mushing his chocolate covered fingertips against your emerald's surface, leaving little chocolate fingerprints everywhere...I wouldn't be surprised if he's broken several pieces off already...that little bee is so clumsy, he just can't control where he's waving that sharp little stinger of his."

By now beads of sweat were pouring down Knuckles' forehead. Rouge's grip on his shoulders tightened.

"And that Vector. Vector the Crocodile. He's got a crazy obsession with money, you know. I heard he'd sell his own mother for a couple pounds of pocket change. Just imagine what must have going through his mind when he got his first glimpse of your beautiful...shiny...glossy...Master Emerald. Money here, money there, money...everywhere! He could have it all, and all he had to do was trade it away to...oh, anyone, really. Nack...Scourge...Fiona..." She paused for effect. "..._Eggman_..."

Knuckles yelped involuntarily.

"So, you're yelling at _me_ not to touch your precious emerald?" Rouge growled, sounding offended. "I think you should be focusing your attention on those you already trust with it."

"You just got OWNED!" Sonic laughed.

"Not. Helping. Sonic," Knuckles mumbled, his teeth gritted.

"I never do," Sonic grinned, "according to _you_."

"OMG, THAT RHYMED," Amy squealed, grabbing Sonic's arm.

"Yes. Yes it did."

"Alright, now that I've proven my point," Rouge smirked, "I think it's time for you, me, and Rose to go to whichever one of our cabins the three of us are staying at."

"Yeah...," Knuckles agreed, suddenly very smug. "Don't you have a_ casserole_ to attend to?"

Rouge gasped, her royal blue eyes widening. "**MY _CASSEROLE_**!" The bat grabbed Knuckles by the leg and Rose by the hand, beat her wings and took to the air, dragging both of them out of the room.

"HEY!" Knuckles complained, hitting his head against the door frame. "I'M UPSIDE DOWN!"

"I'M COMING, CASSEROLE!"

There was a long silence that followed after they left. No one really knew what to say.

"Wow," Amy finally said. "Whatever happened to the nice Rouge we were all starting to know?"

"I guess the author decided to try and stop the OCD-ness, bringing her back to her old ways," Cream said. "Rouge will _never_ really change, you know..."

"Stop breaking the fourth wall!" Sonic yelled. He huffed. "Phhttt...girls."

"Well, I guess that's our cue," Amy said reluctantly. "Are you coming back to my cabin with me, Sonic?"

"Of course!" Sonic grinned, taking her arm. "Let's go!" He waved to Cream. "Bye, Cream! When Tails wakes up, tell him I was worried SICK about him, and also, tell him to never freak me out like that again or I'll have to hit him with one of Rose's pillows!"

Cream sweatdropped. "Um...okay!"

...xxx...xxx...

The moment Cream was sure everyone was finally GONE, she turned back to Tails.

"Poor, Tails..." The rabbit's chocolate brown eyes began to tear up as she thought about what the fox had gone through. Instinctively, her fingers tightened around his palm. What would she do if Tails didn't wake up? He was her bestest friend ever! (was bestest a word...?) And she may, _kind of,_ have a bit of crush on him. ...not that she'd tell anyone of course!

Well...maybe Amy.

_Maybe._

Suddenly, a low moan escaped Tails' mouth.

"Tails?" Cream gasped hopefully, her floppy bunny ears now alert. Sharing her excitement, Cheese chaoed loudly, flapping its chubby little arms.

"Eh..." Tails' eyelids cracked open. His weary, sky blue eyes locked with hers and immediately his lips turned upwards.

"Hey, Cream," he greeted in a weak voice. "Wassup?"

"Tails. you're okay!" Cream cheered happily.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright," Tails grunted, shifting uncomfortably underneath the blanket. "It's a little hot in here though. Maybe it's just me."

"It's just you," the little rabbit giggled. "Do you want me to give you an ice pack? Or switch out your blanket with something thinner?"

"I-it's okay, really!" Tails said quickly, blushing a bit. "You don't need to do that for me. I'm fine, really. The heat suits me."

"It certainly does...," Cream mumbled to herself, smiling dreamily at him.

"Huh?"

"OH...uh, I just said that I would be happy to do those things for you if you really want me to!" Cream lied, her cheeks turning red.

"Nah, it's fine," Tails chuckled. "Trust me, I'll live."

"Well...as long as you're okay," Cream sighed, relieved. "Oh, and by the way, Sonic told me to tell you that he was worried _sick_ about you. He also wants you to never freak him out like that again or he'll hit you with one of Rose's pillows." She giggled. "I swear, those were his exact words."

Tails laughed heartily. "Oh, typical Sonic...it's good to know he cares."

Cream smiled, still blushing faintly.

...xxx...xxx...

"CASSEROLE...OH, CASSEROLE!" Rouge cried, dropping Knuckles on the ground and Rose on the couch and running at, well, supersonic speed for the oven. She could smell the burning chicken before she even was within twenty feet of the kitchen. Smoke was pouring out of the oven and when she flung it open, roaring flames burst out, searing close to her face and burning off the tips of her cropped white hair.

"HOLY-!" Rouge backed off, freaking out and scrambling for an extinguisher of some kind. Finally, she found a fire hydrant (PHEW) under the counter and sprayed it all over the flames.

Once she was absolutely, positively, 100% SURE the fire was out, Rouge shakily reached inside the oven and pulled out her WAY, WAY, _WAY_ overdone Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

"My casserole..." She sniffed. "I worked so hard on it..."

Knuckles peeked in. "Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly.

"My...casserole...took me...hours...to...make..."

"Actually, I've made that before, and it only takes twenty minutes..."

It was too bad Rouge had completely emptied the fire hydrant, because when she turned around, flames lit up her eyes. Knuckles backed away nervously, sweating profusely.

"MY CASSEROLE...IS..._RUINED_!" Rouge shrieked, her voice shaking the house. Literally. "_**RUINED**_! AND IT'S _ALL_._ YOUR_. **_FAAAULT_**!" With that last word, she chucked the burnt remains of her dinner at him, splatting it against his face.

Knuckles tore the pan off his face, tossing it aside. "WHAT THE HECK WOULD POSSESS YOU TO DO _THAT_?!" he cried, pointing at his blackened face. "I _like_ being red, _thank you_very much! I _refuse _to have a black face! That's _SHADOW'S_ thing!"

"It's a good look for you, Knuckie," Rouge flirted, suddenly completely calm. "You should keep it.."

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!" Knuckles stomped his foot angrily. "WHAT IS THE _MATTER_ WITH YOU?! First, you're totally MEAN and FLIRTY, just like always. Then suddenly you're Little Miss _SAINT_, helping people out and acting like CREAM, of all people! NOW YOU'RE ALL_ BIPOLAR_! SCREAMING AT ME, AND THEN FLIRTING, AND THEN SCREAMING, AND THEN FLIRTING, AND THEN SCREAMING AND THEN THROWING _MOLTEN FOOD_ AT MY FACE, AND THEN-"

"WHOA, there!" Rouge laughed. "Calm down, buddy!"

Knuckles' eye twitched. "_YOU'RE_ TELLING _ME_ TO CALM DOWN?!"

"Yes!" Rouge said. "Relax. Seriously. You'll freak Rose out."

"Oh, don't worry, you already accomplished _that_ back at Tails'," Rose called from the living room.

"Okay, listen," Rouge smiled sadly, ignoring the sarcastic hedgehog child. "I'm sorry I yelled. I was mad about my dinner and it WAS all your fault. If you hadn't TRIPPED me..." The bat struggled to compose herself again. "...if you hadn't tripped me, I would have maybe, _probably_ gotten here in time."

"Not likely..."

"Whatever," Rouge sighed. "But really, I'm sorry I yelled, and since you mentioned it, I'm also sorry about the way I acted at Tails'. I was stressed and under pressure about this whole attacker thing, and then you were acting like a jerk, _too_. That whole 'Master Emerald' thing was just to freak you out as payback for being mean to Cream and to Amy and everyone else. But still, I should have been less harsh. You obviously must think I'm PMSing or something."

"That _would_ explain it..."

She shot him a glare. "Yes. Well. You are kind of in the wrong, too," the bat huffed. "As I mentioned before, you did totally scream at Cream for trying to keep the peace. You also blamed _everyone_ for the attacking of Tails _except_ yourself, which was kinda rude. You also antagonized Amy to the point where she had to resort to self-defense; aka eliminating your future children. Then you screamed at her later when she was laughing at us...which actually I applaud you for, but still."

Knuckles scoffed, turning towards the sink and washing his face of the burnt casserole in the running water. "What_ever_..."

Rouge sighed again, this time more frustrated. "You are so friggin' _impossible_." She rested her hands on the counter top. The bat realized, as she stared at them, that they were shaking. From anger? Probably. But also, she knew, from something else that had just crossed her mind...

"...is this...going to work...?"

Knuckles' hands froze halfway to his face, water leaking off of his palms and back into the sink. His violet eyes dilated. "...do...do you mean...?"

"...yeah..."

"I...of course!" He was sweating again, but this time, for a completely different reason than before. "It...has to...! It will!" He spun around frantically. "Don't even question us, Rouge! There's nothing to question, because I lo-"

She wasn't there anymore.

...xxx...xxx... **(PLEASEDON'THATEMEI'MSORRYILOVEKNUXOUGEI'MSOSORRY! )** ...xxx...xxx...

Amy looked at her clock on the wall. It was 12:34am. She was sitting on the couch in her living-room, her bare feet propped up on a pillow and her back pressed against the arm, her hands resting behind her head. For some reason she felt really eerie about this whole "partner" thing. She _really_ didn't want Sonic to get hurt if Spirit came back for her, and since he absolutely _refused_ to leave her side for even a second, there was sure to be some kind of, ahem, _disagreement_, when it showed its ugly mug.

Right now Sonic was sitting on the same couch, near her, while eating an apple (yes, an apple), one leg crossed over the other.

Amy closed her eyes, groaning with annoyance. "Sonic, you're being such an _AMY_ right now!" she huffed. "You don't have to watch me _every_ _single second_ of the **_night_**!"

Sonic gave her a weird look. "Did you just refer to my keeping an eye on you as an _'Amy' moment_?" He coughed awkwardly. "You do realize you just insulted yourself...right?"

Amy groaned again. "Yeah, I know...but, really, I can take care of myself! You don't have to keep watch. You can go on a run, or - or go on a run!"

Sonic laughed as if this was the funniest thing in the world. "HA! A run..." His smile slowly vanished and he suddenly started squirming in his seat. "A run does sound nice..." His foot began to tap with impatience at the thought. "Really nice..." He bit his lip, sweat beginning to form on his brow. His foot beat even faster against the floor, becoming a blur of red. "Uh...uh...I'LL BE BACK IN FIVE MINUTES DON'T MOVE AN INCH OKAY BYE." The hedgehog disappeared in a flash of blue, almost crashing through the front door, leaving it hanging open.

Amy grinned to herself, relaxing against the sofa. "Ha...I am so good...and while I'm alone..." She flicked her wrist, making her hammer appear, and laid the weapon across her lap. "...I might as well polish my hammer." The girl grabbed a rag off the coffee table and rubbed the hammer's red and yellow surface lovingly.

"I'm impressed; you got rid of that blue pest for me, and without so much as a _single_ threat." Amy's ears flicked at the familiar inhuman (inmobian...?) voice. She tensed up. "I guess this means I have five minutes to work with you. Good thing, too, because I only need four. The little rabbit's my next target and she won't be a challenge. Not for me."

Amy sprung to her feet, keeping her barely polished hammer between her and the ghost and flipping the coffee table on its side to use as a fort or something. "Okay, listen _YOU_," she hissed. "I have had JUST ABOUT enough of YOU and your POSSESSING. I_ like_ being in control of my own body, thank you very much! So you can just_ back off!_ After what you did to Tails - or, _almost_ did - I can't even stand the SIGHT of you! How _DARE_ you try and MURDER MY FRIENDS! Well, last time was THE. LAST. TIME. Got that?! Because _I AM DONE._"

Spirit just laughed. "Whatever, _hedgehog_, if you don't want me to possess your little _boyfriend_ and make him kill himself, I suggest you cooperate." It smirked at Amy's horrified expression. "You see? Threats work just as well as conversations. Maybe _better._"

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Amy screamed, gripping her hammer tight and swinging it at the ghost's head. However, Spirit obviously saw this coming and dodged the blow using its intangibility.

"Oh, so you wanna fight, girly?" Spirit cackled evilly. "BRING. IT. ON!" Bringing up its ghost-y hands, its deep black eyes glowing, Spirit launched green rays out of the palms of its hands at Amy.

Amy yelped with surprise, somersaulting out of the way. The ray blasted the sofa instead of her, disintegrating the half she'd been lying on.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Amy cried. "And DUDE. My COUCH!"

Spirit looked smug again. "An ectoplasmic energy blast, my dear," it smirked, speaking in a singsong voice. "Watch out! Here it comes again!" Another blast narrowly missed Amy as she dropped to the ground, allowing it to sear over her head and burn up the bottom of her bookshelf. Hearing the creaks of the shelf about to fall on top of her, Amy quickly rolled to the left, again narrowly missing certain death as the shelf collapsed inches away from her.

"Aw...still alive? What a shame. I was enjoying the death you almost had!" Spirit pretended to pout. "You're doing pretty well so far...but let's see how well you do against what you CAN'T SEE!" Suddenly, Spirit was gone. It just...vanished!

The lamp next to the disintegrated side of the couch started to flicker on and off.

Totally creeped out, Amy struggled to her feet and held her hammer out in front of her, looking back and forth for any sign of movement.

_CRASH_! A picture had been flung from across the room and smashed into the wall beside her, right next to her head. The glass shattered at her feet along with the broken frame and an unharmed picture of her and Cream. Amy squeaked with surprise. Wigging out, the pink hedgehog started to swing her hammer around back and forth, randomly, while screaming, "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FREAKY GHOST?! SHOW YOURSELF!" Swing, swing, swing, swi-

Amy's hammer stopped mid-swing, right in the middle of the air. Jerking, Amy tried to pull it back, but something was holding it in place.

"LET GO OF MY HAMMER!" Amy reached back and grabbed a shard of glass from the floor, hurling it at where she assumed Spirit was. The shard hit nothing and landed on the other side of the room.

Spirit appeared again, revealing than she'd been two feet off with her throw. The ghost was gripping the end of her hammer with both hands, grinning wickedly. "You have even worse aim than _I_ do!" it laughed. "And I threw a huge picture at your head and _missed_! ...but at least _I_ was close."

Amy wrenched her hammer out of its grasp, getting back into her battle stance._ 'In order to beat it...I have to outsmart it...'_ She straightened up suddenly, looking past the ghost and at the door while furrowing her brow as if confused and frightened. "Sonic, what are you doing back so _early_?!"

"What?" Spirit whirled around.

"KI-YAH!" Amy smacked the spirit across the room with her hammer, sending it crashing into the wall near the lamp, which was still flickering in a spooky way.

"BOI-YAH!" Amy cheered, jumping up and down to celebrate her victory. "I GOT YOU_ GOOD_!"

Spirit floated back up out of the rubble of broken pieces of the wall. "It seems you're more clever than you look..." It smirked. "I hope you enjoyed your one minute of fame, because now it's _my_ turn." Rays of energy burst out of its palms, barely missing Amy's waist, arms, and the top of her head.

"EEK!" Amy cried, dodging each blow. One of the rays blasted her hammer, turning it into ashes in her hands.

"M...my hammer..." Amy let out an _furious_ roar. "YOU _KILLED_ IT! AND I NEVER EVEN FINISHED_ POLISHING_ IT!"

"You can always polish the _ashes_!" Spirit suggested innocently, grabbing the STILL flickering lamp and chucking it at her head. Amy dodged it by ducking, but shrieked when little sparks of electricity fell on her.

"Gah, the sparks! They BURN!" Amy wailed, flailing about helplessly.

"Not as much as your RUG is gonna!" Spirit laughed, backing away as the sparks made the rug catch fire.

"HOLY FRIGGIN' LASAGNA!" the pink hedgehog freaked, hopping up and down from one burning foot to the other. "FIRE! FIRE!_ FIRE_! _FIRE_! **_FIRE_**!" She took off for the kitchen, grabbing the fire hydrant from under the counter (just like Rouge had) and desperately sprayed the living room from top to bottom, covering the whole place with white foam.

"Aw, you ruined my fun!" Spirit complained. "And you made it so _white_ in here. I _hate_ the color white. Two bad things at once..." She tsked at Amy in a scolding manner. "That's gonna cost you!"

Whirling around, Spirit gathered up all the foam in a Big, Raging Spirit Tornado and then began spitting it all back at Amy, the impact knocking her onto the kitchen floor and covering her in the white foam.

"Now _that's_ more like it!" the ghost grinned, coming to a complete stop. "Nice and dark again, just the way I like it."

Amy shook all the foam off of her angrily. "Oooh! You are gonna regret that!" She lunged for the Spirit, tackling it to the ground and totally ready to pound everything she had into the ghost's face.

"Wow, you're pathetic." Spirit instantly went intangible, causing Amy's fist to phase right through it and thump against the now-bare wooden floor instead. It then slipped out from under her, became tangible again, flipped her onto her back, and pinned her to the ground, its ghostly hands tightly gripping her wrists.

"Don't you see?" Spirit whispered in her ear, leering proudly at her. "I've got you right where I want you. I win...and you...los-"

The door swung open, cutting off Spirit's sentence. A very refreshed looking Sonic strutted in, his eyes closed and a big goofy grin on his face. "Hey, Ames! I'm back! And a whole minute less than I said I'd be!" He opened his eyes and they met the terrified ones of Amy. "Aren't you glad to..." He blinked slowly. "...see..." He looked up slightly at Spirit, who was on top of Amy, crushing the girl against the floor. "...me...?"

"Oh, hello, Sonic the Hedgehog," Spirit smiled pleasantly. "Care to watch as I possess your lovely girlfriend and use her to murder her little rabbit friend?"

Sonic's green eyes bugged out of his head as he stared down at the scene before him, too shell-shocked to move a muscle. "U-uh...uh...uh..."

"Well, I'll take that as a yes!" Spirit looked down at Amy and opened its mouth to breathe out the creepy fog it always used.

As soon as Sonic saw it move, the stinging numbness left his arms and legs (and mouth) and he cried out, "WHAT THE HECK _ARE_ YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN AMY'S HOUSE!? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,_ ON. TOP. OF. AMY_?!"

Spirit sighed, bored, and closed its mouth again. It looked back up at Sonic, rolling its black eyes. "Wow, late reaction, much? Where was THAT outburst ten second ago?"

Sonic got into a fighting stance. "_Buddy_, I DON'T KNOW _WHAT_ YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, but you'd better GET OUT before I MAKE you get out!"

"Buddy?!" Spirit gagged. "I'm a **_GIRL_**! That is SO insulting...you DON'T even _KNOW_._ UGH_."

Sonic's mouth dropped open and he cringed. "You're...a girl...? ...ew..." He shook his head to clear it. "Okay. Whatever. I don't care what GENDER you are, I want you OFF of Amy, you_ LESBIAN_!"

Amy giggled against her will.

Spirit...was _not_ amused.

"Okay, BUDDY, you wanna play hard ball, I CAN PLAY HARD BALL." Spirit pressed Amy even harder against the floor, causing her to wince with pain. "Your first question was 'what am I'. Well, I'm a forty thousand year old ghost who haunts this island and murders _anyone_ who trespasses. Of course, that happens AFTER I carefully observe them for a while. You know, I gotta find out who I can possess and everything, so they can take the fall for me. Don't want to be labeled a wanted murderer on my own island, do I?"

Sonic blinked twice, his mouth twitching.

"Your second question: 'what am I doing in your girlfriend's house'. Well, I'm here to possess her weak, _pathetic_ body-"

"Harsh!" Amy complained.

"-and _use_ it...," Spirit pressed on Amy's wrists even _harder_ (if that was even_ possible_) on the word "use", extracting another cry from Amy which made Sonic growl, "to murder every other living inhabitant on this island. And that includes YOU by the way. So far, we haven't been very _successful_." She glared at Amy menacingly. "Both times, something interrupted my work! The first time, we _almost_ did it, but we got caught. The second time, this little witch _some_how woke up inside herself and regained control for just enough time to rip up the bag I was gonna use for suffocation...and then we almost got caught...AGAIN!"

"WE?!" Amy shrieked, both offended and livid at the same time. "Like_ I_ had anything to do with you and your murderous rampages!_ I_ was being _possessed_!"

Spirit elbowed Amy in the gut. "Shut up! Do you even KNOW how much I HATE being interrupted?! HUH?!" She cleared her throat angrily. "Ahem. Anyway. Your third question, I will answer right away, since I see you are getting pretty pissed."

And it was true. Sonic's right eye had started twitching and his fists kept clenching and unclenching. He was seriously about to attack her.

"I'M ABOUT TO POSSESS AMY!" Spirit breathed the fog quickly before the sentence could register into Sonic's brain. Upon sight of the strange fog, Sonic stepped backwards, confused and afraid for Amy.

"Amy?! AMY?!" he called, eyes wide with shock. "Ames, where are you?!"

After a few moments, the fog cleared. Standing before him, Sonic saw Amy looking at the ground, her bangs dangling in front of her eyes and her arms lying limply by her sides. It was so creepy, he actually choked with surprise (and a _little_ fear, but he'd never admit it if you asked him).

"A-Amy?" Sonic asked cautiously, reaching out towards his statue of a girlfriend.

_'I'm about to **possess** Amy...'_ Spirit's voice was echoing through his mind and it was seriously freaking him out. _'Care to watch as I **possess** your lovely girlfriend...?' 'Well, I'm here to **possess** her weak, pathetic body...'_

Possess. That...whatever-it-was had just possessed Amy. Sonic refused to believe it was a ghost. He simply didn't believe in ghosts, and that was that.

But even so, he could slowly feel his beliefs being washed down the drain as Amy's head lifted to face him, revealing cloudy gray eyes instead of her familiar green ones and a sinister smile leering at him.

"Amy...?" a voice that was neither male nor female groaned from its mouth. "There is no Amy here..."

**I'M DONE.**

**Emeral and I...been...working on this since...MIDNIGHT.**

**It's . .**

**NINE.**

**ARGH.**

**Sorry about the stupid delay, BTW. I had MAJOR writers block at the Tailseam moment. I need more practice with other ships.  
><em>RACHEL IS BAD ANYTHING BUT SONAMY.<em>  
>THERE. I SAID IT.<strong>

**And right now, I _know_ you all hate me.**

**I am SO SORRY about the Knuxouge part! So sorry so sorry so so so very _sorry_...but it was necessary. The cliffie kills, trust me, I know.**

**But you see, if Knuckles and Rouge _really_ got together, they would _OBVIOUSLY_ have some problems. First off, their always arguing. Second, Rouge is a thief! Third, they totally hate each other's guts.**

**But.**

**BUT.**

**If they were WILLING to SET APART these differences and TRY to get along...**

**...it could work.**

**Love is _just _that strong.**

**And then there's the Sonamy cliffie, too...man, I am just being really mean today, aren't I? I am _so_ sorry.**

**I was actually gonna finish it, and give you this WONDERFUL-TASTIC ENDING...but I'm too tired.**

**And if you've got any flames for me, DON'T. BOTHER.**

**I already took _all those_ future flames and used them to lite the fire in Rouge's oven and Amy's living room.**

**So there.**


	12. Can You Handle The Truth?

**I. AM. BACK. ****:P**

**Amy: What's _wrong_ with you, Rachel? When do we get to go home?! And WHY DO YOU KEEP POSSESSING ME?!  
><strong>

**Me: Oh, get _over_ it. The story's almost finished anyway.**

**Sonic: REALLY?! Thank glob. I am_ sick_ of this stupid island.**

**Tails: Me too! And when are you going to add some REAL Tailseam?**

**Sonic: *smirks* Oooh, Tails, you sly dog..**

**Tails: -3- Shut up, Sonic.**

**Me: Soon, Tails, soon. The next chapter will have some good Tailseam for you ;). And don't worry, Sonic. There's, like, two more chapters left. So yeah, it's almost over.**

**Amy: Only two more chapters left?! WHOA, Rachel is about to ACTUALLY. FINISH. A STORY.**

**Me: Hey,_ hey_, _HEY_. I can finish stories! Just because Sonamy: Return isn't done doesn't mean it never will be!**

**Cream: I like that story :)**

**Amy: Me too ;P**

**Me: Phhtttt I don't. I started that thing a long time ago and my writing style has seriously changed since then (as far as_ I_ can tell). First off, I have better grammar, even if I sometimes make typos...**

**Sonic: Sometimes?**

**Me: Shut up. Second off, I'm not nearly as mushy...**

**Tails: Yeah, right!**

**Me: Shut UP! Third...I add a lot more random humor that nobody probably gets but me.  
><strong>

**Amy: Okay, THAT one was true.**

**Me: Arghhh...**

**Shadow: *appears*Can you just do the disclaimer already? The readers are getting angsty.**

**Me: Ugh. I'm done with doing disclaimers. *walks away***

**Amy: *rolls eyes* I'll do it. *clears throat* Sonikku and everyone else belong to Sega!**

**Shadow: FINALLY. Begin the story, Rachel. *pauses* Rachel? *groans* RACHEL!**

**Me (in another room): I'm on break! Amy can do this one.**

**Shadow :*facepalms* Now we're all screwed.**

**Amy: WEEEEEE! My chance has come! *begins to type***

"Amy, I love you! You're the most beautiful, amazing girl I've ever seen," the handsome, dashing Sonic the Hedgehog sang, dramatically falling down on one knee and flipping open a small velvet box with his thumb to reveal_ the most_ GORGEOUS engagement ring EVER. "Will you marry me?!"

"OH, SONIC!_ YES_! YES, I WILL!" the lovely, spectacular Amy Rose squealed, lunging into her one true love's strong, welcoming arms. She-

**Shadow: _RACHEL, SHE'S DOING IT AGAIN!_**

**Me (walking into the room): Amy, you better not be writing about you and Sonic getting married again.**

**Amy: *stops typing* Oh poo, you two ruin all my fun. *backspaces* FINE. I'll continue your stupid cliffhanger. *mutters angrily*  
><strong>

- Hazard Island -

Sonic stared at Amy, his eyes wild with panic. She stared back at him, her head cocked to the side and her gray eyes devoid of emotion and their usual warmth.

"What h-have you done with Amy?" Sonic stammered, thoroughly alarmed. Amy's body was coming closer, causing Sonic to take a few steps back.

"I really don't appreciate your lack of listening skills, Sonic the Hedgehog," the voice said from Amy's mouth. Sonic recognized the Spirit's voice as soon as he heard it. "This will be the fourth time I've told you. Your little Amy Rose is possessed. By me. And there's nothing she can do, because I'M in control."

Sonic, who had been slowly backing away, felt his back press against a wall in the living room. _Crap._ There was nowhere to run, Amy was blocking the door. What was he gonna do?! If Amy attacked him, he wouldn't be able to defend himself and attack back. He couldn't hurt her. Not in a million years. He would never forgive himself if he caused her pain.

"How can you possess people?" Sonic asked, blinded by his doubt. In his mind, ghosts weren't real. He simply didn't believe in them! So, of course, this right here was really messing up his mind and his beliefs.

"I'm a GHOST, you imbecile!" Amy/Spirit groaned, facepalming with annoyance. "I can _possess_ people!"

"No...you're not!" Sonic denied stubbornly. "I...I don't believe in ghosts!"

"You don't believe in ghosts?" Amy/Spirit got a little closer. "Even though it's CLEAR that I have possessed your girlfriend, which is something only a ghost can do?"

Sonic shut his eyes tight, grabbing his head. "This is all a dream! Ghosts aren't real! I must have fallen asleep on the couch with Amy and now my worrying over her is affecting me through my dreams!" He opened his eyes and pinched himself repeatedly. "Wake up, Sonic. _Wake up_!"

"Oh, I assure you, this is NOT a dream," Amy/Spirit laughed evilly. "Just look at the clock if you don't believe me. In the dreamworld, there is no time."

Sonic looked at the clock. It was 12:45am. He looked at Amy/Spirit, and then looked back at the clock.

Still 12:45am.

"No!" Sonic cried. "I...I don't believe you!"

"_Believe it!_" **(Naruto reference! WOO)** Amy/Spirit yanked a picture of Amy and Sonic off the wall and hurled it at Sonic's head. The blue hedgehog ducked under the picture and ran in the opposite direction of Amy/Spirit, just trying to clear his head.

"This isn't happening...this isn't happening...," Sonic mumbled over and over to himself. "Ghosts aren't real...ghost's aren't real...!" He looked over his shoulder at the possessed girl, taking note of her cold, gray eyes and murderous smile. Amy would never look at him like that.

"Ghosts are_ real!_"

Amy/Spirit threw book at him. "Sonic the Hedgehog! Get back here and take your punishment!" she yelled.

Sonic stopped running and turned around, confused. "...punishment?"

Amy/Spirit threw a punch at his face, but he easily dodged it. "Yes! Your punishment for trespassing on MY island!" She tried again, but Sonic grabbed her arm and pinned her to the ground.

"We're not trespassing!" Sonic protested. "We merely came here on vacation and are desperately trying to leave! We don't even want to be here!"

"YOU'RE TRESPASSING!" Amy/Spirit kicked him off her and slugged him in the gut. "THIS IS_ MY_ ISLAND! I FOUND IT! _MINE!_"

"Jeez, calm down!" Sonic grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back as if arresting her. "Why don't we just talk it out? Just get out of Amy and-"

"YEAH, RIGHT!" Amy/Spirit thrashed in his grip, kicking and screaming, but Sonic was holding her wrists too tightly. "There's nothing to talk about, Sonic! Nothing! YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON MY ISLAND AND MUST DIE!"

Suddenly, Sonic got an idea. _'Maybe I can knock this thing out of her.'_ "Stay still, ghost."

"I WILL NEVER STAY STI-" Sonic karate-chopped her neck as hard as he could, without hurting her, and watched smugly as Spirit tumbled out of Amy's body, screeching as she slid across the living room floor. Now free again, Amy fell backwards into Sonic's waiting arms.

Opening her large black eyes, Spirit gaped like a goldfish, stunned. "How...how did you...do that...?"

Sonic scooped Amy's sleeping form up bridal style and laid her down on what was left of the couch. "Don't ask _me_. I was winging it."

Spirit slowly began to float again. "You...how dare you stop me!" she screamed, her voice raising an octave. "FINE! If I can't possess her without you getting in the way, I'LL KILL YOU SO I CAN!" She lunged for him.

"Oh no you _WON'T_!" Sonic stopped her with a punch to the face, sending her flying in the opposite direction. "I don't care if you ARE a girl, I can still hit you back!"

Spirit shook herself off. "You can't stop me! I'm dead!_ I don't feel pain_!" She tried again, pushing Sonic to the ground.

But Sonic wasn't done yet. Freeing his arms from her ghastly hands, the blue hedgehog bopped her as hard as he could on top of her head, knocking her to the ground.

"Ow, that hurt!" Spirit complained. Her eyes snapped open. "Wait a minute...that hurt!" She backed away from Sonic. "**_How did you do that?!_**"

Sonic cracked his knuckles. "Still winging it," he shrugged. "I guess you've got a weak spot on the top of your head!" He stepped on her, pressing her face into the ground.

"Get offa me!"

Crouching, his shoe still keeping her down, Sonic growled, "You think you can hurt my friends and get away with it?!"

"No! I'm sorry! You win!"

"You_ beat up_ Rouge,_ drugged_ Tails, _violated_ Amy..."

"I know! I'm sorry! _Please!_ Let me go and I'll leave! I'll leave and _never_ come back! I swear on my grave!"

Rolling his eyes with disgust, Sonic released Spirit from underneath his foot. She gasped for air (even though she didn't technically need to breathe), glaring up at him.

"Get out of my sight," Sonic hissed, looking down at her.

Still glaring, Spirit floated through the door, leaving the house while muttering curses.

Exhausted, Sonic leaned back against the wall. "Jeez, that was crazy..." He walked over to Amy, kneeling beside her, and shook her softly. "Ames...Ames, wake up."

Amy's eyes fluttered open. "What happened...?" she whispered drowsily before coming to completely, her eyes widening. "Where's Spirit? Is Cream okay!?"

"Don't worry!" Sonic reassured her. "Cream's fine. Spirit never got to her, I got rid of her."

Amy relaxed. "Oh good...," she sighed. "How did you beat her?"

"I found her weak spot," Sonic said, grinning proudly. "Apparently I can knock her out of you if I karate chop your neck, and I can even inflict pain on her by attacking the top of her head."

"Really?!" Amy huffed. "If only I'd known THAT yesterday..."

Sonic chuckled. "It's alright, Ames," he soothed teasingly. "At least she's gone now."

"I still can't believe that thing was a girl..."

"Me either..." Sonic helped Amy stand up, taking her hand in his and smiling at her adoringly. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy said, smiling.

Sonic's mood suddenly shifted and he bit his lip. "Why didn't you tell me about her, Amy?"

She looked down, ashamed. "I...I..."

"Don't you trust me, Amy?"

There was no hesitation this time. "Of course I do."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

Amy's lower lip wobbled. "B-because I knew you wouldn't believe me..."

"But I would have!" Sonic protested. "I know you would never lie to me. Especially about something so serious!"

"I-I'm sorry, Sonic...," Amy sniffed, her eyes widening and filling with tears. "I was...s-scared...you'd b-b-blame me...for what happened to T-Tails and Rouge..." She wiped her eyes, but the tears didn't stop. "I'm so sorry...Sonic...I'm so, so sorry..."

Regret washed through Sonic for being so harsh. Smiling sadly, he pulled her in for a hug. "It's okay, Amy. I'm sorry for pestering you. I know you had your reasons..."

Amy didn't move. All the guilt from earlier that day came back, hitting her like a tidal wave, and she began to sob uncontrollably. "Sonic, I'm...I'm a monster! What have I done?! I almost killed both Rouge and Tails! God, it's all my fault..." She beat her fists into his chest, not caring that her tears had drenched his fur. "I was so weak, Sonic! It's all...my...fault!"

Sonic took Amy by the shoulders, pulling her away from him. His brow was furrowed with confusion. "Amy, _what_ are you talking about?! It wasn't your fault! None of this was!" He shook her a little bit. "Where did you get that idea from?!"

Amy sniveled. "Be-because I could h-have stopped her. I could have-"

"No, you couldn't have," Sonic interrupted. "That ghost was strong, Amy. Besides, what happened happened. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"B-but...," Amy argued. "But still..."

Leaning forward, Sonic pressed his forehead against hers. "Ames, don't go blaming yourself when it's clearly not your fault. I know you. You would never hurt your friends...unless they deserved it, of course." That got a little giggle out of her. "Don't beat yourself up, Ames, because you had nothing to do with hurting Rouge or Tails. In fact, from what I heard from Spirit, you saved Tails by fighting back." She blushed a bit, smiling faintly. "That took strength, Ames. I don't think anyone else could have pulled that off." He lifted her chin with his finger. "You're very strong, Amy; the strongest girl I know. And the bravest."

"Thanks...," Amy whispered, flushed from all his praises.

Sonic pulled her in for another hug, resting his head on her shoulder. "So don't go thinking it's all your fault, because it's not. Kay, Ames?"

This time, Amy hugged him back.

"Okay."

Grinning, Sonic stole a kiss from her. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Only if you know that I love you, too...," Amy sighed happily, burying her face in his quills.

They collapsed onto the untouched part of the couch.

"We'd better tell the rest of the team what's going on," Sonic said finally after a long, comfortable silence.

"Ergh...in the morning," Amy moaned, snuggling into her boyfriend. "It's way too late and they'll probably kill us."

"You're right," Sonic snickered. "This has been the longest night ever."

"Funny, that was the name of the last chapter."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

...xxx...xxx...

The next morning, Amy woke up in Sonic's arms, still on the couch. She shook him gently. "Sonikku...wake up, sweetie."

Sonic groaned, covering his face with the only couch pillow _not_ destroyed. "_Sonikku?_ **_Sweetie?_** What are we, married?"

"Yes." Sonic's eyes opened in a flash, a red tinge bursting onto his muzzle.

"Wh-wh-what!?" the blue hedgehog choked, dropping the pillow.

"I'm kidding, Sonic!" Amy giggled. "Not for a few more years."

"Uh...I knew that."

"Sure."

Sonic looked at the wall clock. "Jeez, it's already noon? We slept in_ big_ time!" He stood up, taking Amy with him since she was practically wrapped around his waist. "We gotta call the emergency meeting!"

"What emergency meeting?"

"You know, the one I mentioned last night," Sonic reminded her. "The one where you tell everyone about the ghost and about the attacks."

The color drained from Amy's face. "Uh...u-uh...what?!" She let go of Sonic, backing away. "I have to t-tell everyone?! But...but..."

Sonic pulled her in for a side hug, leading her across her living room and out the front door. "Aw, come on, Ames, I'll be there with you, backing you up," he told her. "But, I mean, they gotta know."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"It's fine," he smirked cockily. "Don't worry about it, they'll understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

Amy suddenly snickered. "Sonic the Hedgehog, I didn't know you were pregnant..." She poked his face. "Are there any more secrets you're keeping from me?"

"P-pregnant?!" Sonic gagged. "Yeah, RIGHT." He rolled his eyes. "Just go to the usual meeting spot, Ames. I'll gather everyone up."

"Okay..._okay_..." She kissed him on the cheek and then headed off for the beach.

...xxx...xxx...

Ten minutes later, Tails, Cream, Cheese, Rose, and Knuckles were standing on the beach in front of her. (Well, actually, Knuckles was sitting on the ground, staring at the ocean) Sonic, true to his word, was by her side, his arm around her back.

"What's this about, Amy?" Tails asked. "Sonic said you had something to tell us."

"Is everything alright?" Cream smiled, concerned.

Amy scrubbed her toe into the sand. "Well...I...no." She took a deep breath. "Everything's NOT alright. You see..." She trailed off, turning to Sonic for help.

"It's about the attacks," Sonic said, urging for her to continue.

Tails' eyes lit up. "Oh! Cream told me that you guys think someone saved my life by ripping up the bag. Was that you, Amy?"

"Yes," Amy nodded, looking down. "Yes, and no. And yes again."

Everyone blinked.

"You see...I...I was...there was this...I was there, yet I kinda wasn't...um..." Amy couldn't make herself say it. How could she tell them she'd been possessed by a ghost? They had no reason to believe her. "I...I was...I was kinda...uh..."

"What is it, Amy?" Rose chirped worriedly.

Amy sighed with defeat. "I was possessed by a ghost," she said finally, wincing at the gasps she heard from her friends. "I was the one that attacked you. I'm _so_ sorry."

"You? You were the one?" Tails' blue eyes were swirling with doubt. "Amy, that's impossible. You'd never hurt me or Rouge."

"Not intentionally," Sonic spoke up, deciding to help the best way he could. "This weird spirit took over her body and made her, though. In the middle of the attack, she found a way to fight back and ripped up the bag that was supposed to suffocate you. However, she was eventually overpowered by the ghost."

"Wow, a ghost?!" Tails looked shocked. "I thought you didn't believe in ghosts, Sonic."

Sonic shook his head. "Not until last night, I didn't..."

"Wait...so a ghost was what attacked them?" Cream sighed with relief. "Well, that makes more sense." She smiled at Amy sadly. "Are you okay, Amy? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"I'm okay-" Amy did a double take in the middle of her sentence. "Wait! Wait a minute! You're not mad? You're not blaming me?! Even _you_, Knuckles?!"

Knuckles, who hadn't said a word the whole time, sighed deeply, continuing to stare at the ocean. "Nah, it wasn't your fault...," he sighed in a small, sad voice. There was obviously something bothering him, but Amy was too grateful and excited to notice.

"Oh, Knuckles!" She fell to her knees and hugged him tightly. "Thank you! Now I feel awful about the way I treated you yesterday at Tails'...I'm so sorry I was a jerk, I was just under a lot of stress from being possessed and everything and I was taking it out on everyone."

"...it's fine," Knuckles said absentmindedly, not even looking at her. "...I forgive you...I was kinda being mean myself, blaming everyone but me and yelling at Cream and bothering you when you weren't well...I deserved your treatment..."

Something wasn't right about him, and Tails was the only one who was noticing it. The eight year old stared down at his usually hotheaded friend with confusion, but didn't comment.

Amy smiled thankfully. "Thanks, Knuckles. You're like my big brother, and I hate being on your bad side." She let him go and then turned to Cream, hugging her next. "And thank _you_, Cream. I can't believe you're not getting upset with me for all this. You're such a good friend."

Cream hugged her back without thinking twice. "Of course, Amy! I understand!"

"Chao!" Cheese chaoed, hugging the side of Amy's head.

Finally, Amy turned to Tails. "And...um...Tails, I..."

Tails held up his hand, smiling. "Don't apologize anymore, Amy," he laughed. "There's nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't you, it was a ghost in your body. I get it. Really. It's fine. No harm done."

Tears filled up in Amy's eyes and she threw her arms around the fox boy, sobbing. "Oh, TAILS!" she cried. "THANK you! You don't know how much this MEANS to me! Thank you so much!"

Tails chuckled at her enthusiasm, pulling away a bit. "Don't worry, about it, Amy!" he grinned. "That's what friends are for."

Amy smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her trademark dress, unable to stop smiling. "Thanks, you guys," she said thankfully. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to fess up."

"No problem, Amy!" Rose giggled, hugging her legs. "We know how nice you are! We trust you and believe you completely!" She then let go and skipped back over to Cream's side.

"Well," Tails said, stretching his arms. "What should we all do today? If this spirit thing is still around, I suggest we stick together."

"Good idea," Sonic nodded. "Amy's house was pretty much completely trashed thanks to the fight her and that ghost got into last night..." He didn't mention that Cream had originally been the next target, for Cream's sake. "...so why don't we all go stay at my house?"

"Sure!" Cream agreed.

"Sounds like a plan!" Tails also agreed.

"I'll go!" Rose laughed, dancing around like the four year old she was.

"Pass." Knuckles stood up. "I think I'll go home..."

"Well, alright then," Sonic shrugged. He was used to Knuckles going solo so he didn't think much of this. "Just remember, if the ghost shows up, hit it on the top of its head. That's its weak spot. If it possesses anyone, karate chop them in the neck."

The red echidna turned away. "...thanks for the heads up...," he sighed and left the group, heading back towards the cabins.

They all watched him go. "Hey, was it just me, or did Knuckles seem a little depressed?" Tails asked, finally mentioning his suspicion. "I thought he was happy now that he's with Rouge."

"Maybe they had a lover's spat," Amy suggested, looking sad for the echidna. "Poor Knuckles..." She turned to Sonic, her green eyes pleading. "Sonic, can you go talk to him? You know, find out what's wrong? I'd hate it if something bad happened because of this..."

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "Weellll...are you sure he needs it?" he asked, obviously reluctant, for he was not the best at giving advice about love. "They'll work it out, if their relationship is even what's causing this. Right?"

Shaking her head, Amy stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "No, Sonic, you know, Knuckles! He'll get all moody and stuff, and he'll lock himself up in his cabin, and when we get back, he'll hide out on Angel Island." She took Sonic's hands, begging him through her eyes. "_Please_, Sonic? _Please_, go talk to him?"

The blue hedgehog sighed, relenting. "Fine..." He scratched the back of his head. "I'll go see him tonight."

...xxx...xxx...

"I'll show that stupid hedgehog...," Spirit grumbled as she floated through her home, which happened to be the totally haunted forest. She peeked out at the cabins through the tall trees, ignoring all the bloodcurdling screams behind her. It was night time now - the time she usually came out - and she was spying on the residents, like she did every night.

"I can't possess Amy anymore...stupid Sonic has probably got a keen eye on her, but maybe I can possess someone else. Maybe, if he doesn't know I'm there, I can get my revenge on him for keeping me from fulfilling my destiny...my destiny being to murder all the inhabitants on this island." She sneered wickedly. "Yes...I shall do just that." A red echidna walking into a cabin caught her attention and she narrowed her eyes. "Him. He's the one. He's got the physique of a true warrior."

Spirit floated towards Knuckles' cabin and spied through the window. "Hmmm..."

Inside, Knuckles threw himself onto his couch and just...laid there...moaning and groaning, twisting and turning. "I'm such an_ idiot_...," he whined. "I can't believe what an idiot I am. Rouge...I'm gonna die without her. I _need_ her...oh, but where could she have_ gone_?" The echidna rolled onto his back and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I wonder...if she's gonna...come back...? Man, I really screwed things up this time. I swear, if she _ever_ forgives me for being so_ stupid_, I'll _never_ be a jerk to her again. I'll never yell at her, I'll never ignore her, I'll listen to her when she's babbling about who-knows-what, I-I'll be the best boyfriend ever!" He turned his head to face the couch's leather material. "I'll never take her for granted again..."

Spirit facepalmed. "Man, this guy is friggin' _depressing!_" She cringed. "I don't even _want_ to possess him. There's _gotta_ be somebody else. Somebody - _any_body -better than HIM." She floated off, away from Knuckles' house and towards another one.

The next one was Amy's. There was no _way_ she was going back in_ there_. Spirit continued to float.

Next was Sonic's. Inside, she saw Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream, Rose, and the little blue one...uh...Cheese, playing a game of tag. They were all laughing, having a good time...

Spirit drew away, disgusted. GREAT. That pretty much eliminated everyone but Rouge and the emo one, Shadow. Was Rouge even anywhere to be found? After a quick inspection of Rouge's cabin, inside and out, she decided that no, Rouge was _nowhere_ to be found.

That left Shadow.

Grumbling, Spirit dragged herself over to the part of the beach where Shadow was always hanging out. She found him walking along the waves, staring at a large green gem Spirit had never seen before. The gem didn't matter to her, it was Shadow she wanted. Floating over, Spirit crept behind the black hedgehog, hoping to possess him before he noticed her.

Unfortunately for her, however, Shadow wasn't oblivious. The second she was within reach of him, he teleported behind her and brought down both fists on the top of her head.

"OOF!" Spirit sunk into the sand. "How did you-?"

"I'm not an idiot," Shadow said moodily. "I heard the Faker talking on the beach about you and heard him telling his little friends about how to hurt you."

"Dang it."

"Yeah." He kicked some sand on top of her, just because he could. "Now get outta here."

She didn't have to be told twice.

...xxx...xxx...

Sonic knocked on Knuckles' door quite reluctantly. "Hey, Knuckles, is everything okay?"

There was no answer.

Sonic wiggled the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. He pushed open the door, peering inside. All the lights were off, he noticed. Not a good sign.

"...Knuckles?" Still no answer.

Out of worry, Sonic stepped in farther, closing the door behind him with a click. "Knuxter? Are you_ here_?"

"Go away...," Knuckles' solemn voice moaned from the kitchen. Well, that answered _that_ question.

The blue hedgehog jogged over, opening the kitchen door. "Knux?" The fridge door was open, creating a sliver of light to creep across the tile floor, and sitting in said light - surrounded by a smorgasbord of food was a very depressed Knuckles. The echidna was shoving cake into his mouth, not caring that most of it was getting all over his face.

The horror! The sugar-filled, pasty horror! "Knuckles the Echidna, what are you _DOING_?!" Sonic gasped. He snatched the cake away from his frienemy, throwing it into the trash can. "You're in the best shape you'll ever _be_! Don't ruin the best years of your life scarfing down all these carbs!"

Obviously not listening, Knuckles reached into a bag of white bread and sunk his teeth into five slices at once. "Ooh cawes?! Mah life is ovah!" Swallow. "I'm gonna die, man!"

Sonic yanked the bread slices away from him and threw them in with the cake. The bag he tossed on the kitchen counter. "What's the matter with you?" he demanded. "If you ever tell anyone I said this, I'll kill you...but you've got the best bod of all us guys. Don't lose it over whatever the heck you're moping about!"

"But, Sonic...," Knuckles whined, trying to grab a bowl full of mac 'n cheese. "Rouge and I...I think we're broken up!" When Sonic kicked the bowl across the floor, far away from him, he started blubbering. "I love her, Sonic! And I didn't get t-to tell her, and now she's go-o-one..." The echidna burst into tears. Not only had he lost the girl he loved, but he'd also broken Rouge's rule about stuttering. How pathetic _was_ he?!

Frustrated, Sonic slapped Knuckles across the face. "Get a hold of yourself, man!" he yelled. "It's not the end of the world!"

"Y-y-yes it is..."

"Hey, you've still got your Master Emerald," Sonic pointed out, not exactly sure what else to say. "You were doing fine with just IT _before_..."

Knuckles groaned, cradling his head in his hands. "But that was before I fell in love..."

Sonic sighed, putting his hand on Knuckles' shoulder. "Alright. Alright..." He bit his lip. _'What would Amy say?'_ "You said you _think_ you guys are broken up. What makes you uncertain?"

Knuckles sniffed, wiping his eyes sadly. "W-well...we had this huge fight about how I acted at Tails'...and then she asked if...i-if _this_ was gonna work. You know..." He gulped. "_Us_."

Sonic nodded. "Go on..."

"Well...I...I sorta froze up when she said that...but I started to protest, telling her that it WAS...but when I turned around..." Knuckles burst into tears all over again. "She was gone!"

Groaning, Sonic grimaced at the echidna's sobs. This was_ so_ not the Knuckles he knew and, er, didn't get along with. "Knuckles, that's not 'breaking up'. That's a lover's spat, man!" He made sure to use the same expression Amy had earlier. Honestly, he had no clue what a lover's spat even was, but it wasn't 'separating', so it must be the correct term. "Stop crying!"

Glaring through his tears, Knuckles started to protest, but the blue hedgehog held up his hand. "However, I'll give you some advice." _'At least, I'll try to.'_ "You need to find her, Knux." That sounded right...right?

"But...but I don't know where she-"

"Then look!" Sonic interrupted, crossing his arms. "She couldn't have gone far. We're on an ISLAND, idiot."

"Oh yeah." Knuckles sighed, looking down with despair. "You're right, Sonic," the distraught echidna admitted. "But what do I do once I find her?"

_'Uh...come on, Amy...what should he do? What would _you_ say in this situation?!'_ An idea struck. "Well, you gotta apologize, of course!" Sonic chuckled as if he was totally confident with his answer. "Apologize for what happened at Tails', for arguing with her, for hurting her, for everything!"

"Everything?!"

"Every. Little. Thing."

Knuckles wiped his eyes with the palms of his large hands. "Well, if it'll fix things with me and Rouge..." He then pulled himself to his feet and slammed the fridge door shut. "Then I'll do it!"

"Atta boy!" Sonic grinned, slapping the echidna on the back. "Go get your girl back!" He winked. "And remember to tell her how you feel, too, since you were so upset about that earlier."

"I will. Thanks, Sonic," Knuckles said, grinning. For the first time since his and Rouge's fight, he looked - and sounded - like his old self again. Just now he was a tad less jerky and a lot more selfless. "And by the way, if you see Rouge after this, don't tell her how much I stuttered during this conversation. She told me during our talking lessons that I shouldn't."

Sonic blinked, dumbfounded. "Rouge told you not to stutter?"

"And not to say 'uh' or 'um'," Knuckles added.

"Knuckles, you know that's a bunch of crap, right?" Sonic sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "Everyone stutters and says 'uh' sometimes. It's life. It means you're nervous."

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ROUGE, HEDGEHOG?!" Knuckles roared furiously, his muzzle turning red with rage.

"Whoa! Calm down there, Knux!" Sonic chuckled, glad to see the echidna still had a temper. "Forget I said anything. Go find your girlfriend."

Huffing, and sending Sonic one last glare, Knuckles stalked off.

...xxx...xxx...

"Gotta find Rouge...gotta find Rouge..." Knuckles had been mumbling the same sentence for the past half hour as he searched every square inch of the island. In retrospect, there were only a limited amount of places she could have gone. The beach, the cabins, the forest, the end. Of course, each of these places were huge in their own way. He'd already checked the cabins, inside and out, and she wasn't there. He'd then checked the entire beach, but it had also been bare.

Finally, there was the forest. Knuckles did not want to check out the forest. No way. Uh uh. He would rather have jumped into the ocean and gotten eaten by sharks. But it was the last place she could have gone, and so, after standing outside and staring at it for forever, he decided to inspect it. But before he did that, he was gonna see if he could spot her from where he was standing, for he was currently at a safe distance where he was positive he was exactly that: safe.

Too bad for him, he couldn't see her.

That is, he couldn't see her until he climbed the closest tree and saw her sitting on the tallest branch of the tallest tree on the other side of the forest, staring out into the ocean.

The moment he spotted her, his heart flipped in his chest. He knew he had to get to her. But how was he going to cross the entire forest, without actually stepping foot in it?

The answer? He wasn't.

He'd have to step foot in it.

Sighing with frustration, Knuckles reluctantly jumped down from the tree and closed the distance between him and the woods. Once he was inside, he made sure to keep his fingers in his ears to block out all of the creepy screams and keep his eyes glued ahead, refusing to be distracted by any gory images.

And he realized, as he walked through the trees, that the second time inside wasn't nearly as hard as the first. In fact, the echidna felt like no time had passed when he came to a stop at the edge of the forest.

He was out. He'd done it.

Knuckles looked up. In the tree right next to him, Rouge was perched on the highest branch. She didn't appear to have noticed him.

And so, he began to climb.

The problem was, how was he going to get her to listen to him? This question pulsed in the back of his mind as he got closer to her. By the time he was on the same branch as her, just a few feet away from her, he could feel sweat forming on his brow.

"...Rouge?"

Rouge didn't respond, even though he knew she could hear him. The girl was a top spy for the greatest organization ever known: the G.U.N.; so duh, yeah she'd heard him. Just because she was obviously lost in her thoughts didn't mean she was deaf.

Desperate, Knuckles crawled a little closer to her, straddling the branch. "Rouge...please look at me..."

The klepto bat continued to ignore him.

"Rouge...just...just listen to me...okay?" Knuckles sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry about...well...everything. I'm sorry we had that fight and I'm sorry about the way I acted - _have been_ acting. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. And, Rouge...I..." He looked down, grimacing at the far drop. "I'm doing this because...because you're really important to me...the most important person I think I've ever known."

Rouge's large ears flickered, revealing to him that she was listening attentively.

"And listen...Rouge? I don't want to lose you. I_ can't_ lose you," Knuckles confessed, "because...because I...I've never cared about anyone this much before. In fact, I've never cared about _anyone_ before. You've changed me, Rouge. You make me do things I never thought I'd try; like the talking thing, and...and apologizing...and stuff...which you know are two big problems with me. Rouge, I..." He swallowed nervously. "I love you. I always have. Not nearly this much before, and I didn't even realize it until a little while ago, but I have. I love you, Rouge."

There was a long silence that followed. A silence that with each passing second made Knuckles' heart sink a little lower in his chest. Then, finally, Rouge's head turned the slightest bit so that he could see her smile.

"Thank you," she said simply.

Beaming, Knuckles blushed. He was about to respond, but was cut off.

"...Knuckles..." Rouge said. "I need to tell you something, too."

"...yeah?"

"Well...the thing is..." She sighed. "Those talking lessons...were stupid. And I shouldn't have taught you them."

Knuckles almost choked on his surprise. "Really?"

Rouge looked back at the ocean. "Yeah," she admitted sheepishly. "I've been thinking, and...I realized that I've been playing by these rules for my whole life, you know? I thought I had to be perfect at everything to get people's attention." She laughed dryly. "I was so wrong. I should have known that it's _normal_ to get tongue-tied every now and then. I should never have brainwashed you with my silly ideas. Those talking lessons were a bunch of crap."

Knuckles squirmed on the branch, a little put off. "Funny...that's exactly what Sonic said when I told him about them. Now I feel kinda bad for screaming at him."

"Aww...you stood up for me?" Her lips curled upwards on one side as she turned to face him. "Thanks, Knuxie."

"You're welcome, Batgirl," Knuckles shot back at her, smiling rebelliously. The name felt strange on his tongue now that he'd gone so long without using it.

Rouge looked mildly surprised. "Haven't heard that name in a while. I thought I told you to-"

"Not call you it?" he finished. "I know. But you know, I don't mean it in an offensive way anymore. So..."

Rouge cuddled up next to him, nuzzling his cheek with her own. "Well, if that's the case...I guess you could use it as a _pet name_...," she flirted.

Knuckles' face went red.

Giggling, Rouge pulled back a little and looked him suggestively in the eyes. "Oh, and thank you again for the apology, Knuckles. I forgive you." She winked. "And, I love you, too, silly." So with that, the bat girl pulled her boyfriend in for a kiss.

And all was right in the world. **(Have I used this phrase before? Probably. Do I care? No.)**

...xxx...xxx...

Eggman leaned back in his tub, resting his hands behind his head. "Ahh...this is the life." He splashed the soothingly steaming water around a bit by lifting one flabby foot above the surface and wiggling his chubby toes (even though he couldn't see them, for his stomach was too big). "Sonic the HedgeRAT and his group of PESTS are dead, my mother is a pepperoni pizza with bacon..." He reached over to a table outside the bathtub to where a box of said pizza was, plucking a greasy piece from the pack and sinking his teeth over half of it with one bite. "...and I have over a million serving robots to do my bidding! Speaking of which..." The evil scientist snapped his over-sized fingers. "ROBOBOT BUTLER 300!"

The reluctant robot trudged into the bathroom. "What, _sir._" It grimaced at his bosses current state, muttering something about his being too big for the biggest bathtub on Mobius.

"Bring me more bubble soap," Eggman demanded. "My bubble bath must be _extra_ bubbly today!"

"Yes, sir," Robobot Butler 300 mumbled, picking the bubble soap off the bathroom counter-top and pouring it into the running water.

"Oh, and can you get the water to cover my belly?" Eggman asked, stretching his legs farther. "Even when I'm lying down and the water is at its highest, my belly still peeks out."

"I wonder why, sir...," Robobot Butler 300 sassed, eyeing the bacon pizza. "I'm sure it has _nothing_ to do with the fact that you turned your mother into _pizza_, and are currently _eating_ her."

"You think so, too?" Eggman smiled. "Good, so it's not just me."

Another robot walked into the bathroom. "Dr. Eggman, sir, I have some bad news," it said in a monotone voice.

Eggman sighed, rolling his eyes behind his tinted glasses. "What is it, Robot Screen Checker 500?"

Robot Screen Checker 500 shifted its robot feet uncomfortably. It hated its name. "Well, sir, I was checking all the spy camera's screens, when-"

"_Why_ were you checking the screens?" Eggman glared suspiciously.

"Because that's my job, sir," Robot Screen Checker 500 said, annoyed. "And my_ name..._"

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Eggman shoved the rest of the pizza into his mouth, impairing his speech. "Condinue, Rowot Scween Sheckah."

"Okay, sir. So once again, I was checking the screens, when I saw Sonic the Hedgehog running circles around Hazard Island."

"HACK-! **_WHAT?!_**" Eggman started to choke on the pizza slice. "THAT RAT IS _ALIVE?!_ IMPOSSIBLE!"

"I...I, yes...I also saw Rouge the Bat and Knuckles the Echidna sitting on the very top of the trees at the edge of the haunted forest, s-sir..."

"**_WHAAAAAT?!_**" Eggman slammed his fist into the side of the bathtub, causing some water to overflow and splash all over Robot Screen Checker 500, who immediately began to spark and then shut down. Robobot Butler 300 sidestepped the splash, narrowly escaping its certain death (if robots could die, that is).

Eggman, however, didn't care. He stood up in the tub, taking millions of bubbles with him, and stepped out, stark naked. The water in the tub sunk down to less than half its previous size due to his absence.

"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS," Eggman roared, heading for the bathroom door.

"Um...sir?" Robobot Butler 300 gaped, averting its eyes (even though it was a robot and the bubbles were covering Eggman's whole body, pretty much). "Would you like a towel?" It held one out. The towel was at least fifteen feet long and seventeen feet wide.

Snatching the towel, Eggman wrapped it around himself, covering his enormous body. "...thank you. NOW." He swung open the door. "I MUST DESTROY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE.

"_**I WILL RULE THE WORLD, IF IT'S THE LAST. THING. I. DOOOOO!**_"

**Well.**

**Obsessive, much?**

**Sorry about any inconveniences. If you didn't like this chapter...well...go set a candle on fire...or something.**

**Don't flame, please. I'm too tired for flames.**

**...you know they hurt, right? I'm doing my best here. I mean, really.**

**Ergh.**

**See ya when the next chappie comes out! :)**


	13. Deal

**Okay, last year was pretty much my break from...all _this_. Like, you have no idea how much stress this story causes me.**

**This year, I'm really going to try to step up my game. It is time to cancel this hiatus and get back to writing (typing?).**

**I've been struggling with this chapter, only because I know very little about the supernatural. The only things I know come from the X-Files, Horror movies (The Grudge, Paranormal, etc), Danny Phantom, and Gravity Falls. So, yeah, I'm not exactly "in my element", per say. But, after a long time of just being able to relax, I think I'm ready to give this my best shot.**

**Also, I have a confession to make.**

**I've kinda...sorta...been drifting away from my Sonic obsession...and drifting into other fandoms and other ships.**

**Now, I'm not saying I'm gonna stop writing Sonic stories. Uh uh. Nope. NEVER. ****However, I_ am_ going to write other fandom fanfictions. I'll give you a list of all the fandoms, stories, and ships on my profile later.**

**Anyway, here we go.**

- Hazard Island -

The next morning, the whole Sonic Team woke up happy. It had almost been two weeks since they had come to this island, and that meant the plane should return soon. They were also happy because they were sure nothing else could go wrong. As far as they knew, Eggman thought they were dead and wouldn't be hosting anymore attacks, Spirit was gone, and everything should be a piece of cake from there on out.

Well, that's why I call, my friends, a jinx.

...xxx...xxx...

"Wake up!"

Sonic turned over in his bed, covering his face with Amy's blanket** (the one he was _borrowing_ from her)**. "Ehhh..."

"_Wake up!_"

"Go away...," Sonic mumbled back, aggravated by the interruption of his beauty sleep. He waved his arm lazily in the direction of the annoying voice.

"_WAKE UP!_"

"No!" the blue hedgehog growled, curling himself up into a ball.

"**_FAKER!_**"

"What?!" The shock of hearing that loathed nickname sent him sprawling onto the floor. Collecting his bearings, he hopped to his feet, the blanket still around him, and gaped at the sight of Shadow standing on the other side of his bed.

"What...what are _you_ doing in_ my_ cabin?!" Sonic demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the intruder. "I warn you, IMPOSTOR, I have an awesomely overprotective, super strong girlfriend and I AM NOT afraid to use her!" He paused for a second. "Wait, that didn't come out the way I wanted it to..."

"Listen, Faker, I'm not here to fight you," Shadow huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm here to warn you."

The suspicion in Sonic's expression vanished and was replaced by skepticism. "...Warn me? About what?"

"That ghost is a problem," Shadow explained roughly, closing his eyes. "You need to take care of him."

"Okay, first off, it's a girl, and second off, how on Mobius are we supposed to 'take care' of her?" Sonic scratched the back of his head. "We're not ghost hunters, we're heroes. We save the world from Eggman and his lame-o robots and we protect citizens from everyday thugs and stuff like that. How are we supposed to know how to get a _ghost_ off our backs?"

Shadow shrugged, uncaring. "I don't know. Figure it out." He lifted his chaos emerald with one hand. "See ya, loser. CHAOS CONTROL!" In a flash he was gone.

Sonic just stood there, blinking. "H-hey...HEY! I AM _NOT_ A LOSER!"

...xxx...xxx...

"Everyone here?" Sonic asked, scanning the group. He winked at Knuckles, who was holding Rouge's hand, as his eyes passed him. Then he nodded at Rouge herself, who nodded back.

"Yeah, we're here, Sonic," Tails confirmed. "What's the deal? We've been having a lot of meetings lately."

"Well, apparently Shadow wants us to 'take care' of the ghost." Sonic told the group, finger-quoting the words "take care".

"Take care...how?" Amy asked, pressing her fists into her hips. "You mean like...send her away? Like to Heaven?"

"I don't know!" Sonic groaned. "I don't know WHAT to do with her. All Shadow said was we have to 'take care' of her."

"Well then," Rouge cut in. "Let's do what Amy said. Send her to Heaven."

"Like she's going there!" Tails scoffed. "Murderers don't go to Heaven."

"Well, Hell then," Rouge corrected, annoyed. "Either way, she won't be here."

"Are you sure we can pull that off?" Cream asked shyly. "She seems to like it here. Maybe we can just ask her nicely if she can please stay away."

"I don't think niceness will work," Sonic said. "But that's a good point, Cream." Cream beamed.

"Do you guys want to try that?" Amy asked, perking up.

"I say we go for it," Knuckles said confidently. "What have we got to lose?"

"Don't jinx us, Knuckles," Sonic glared.

"Sorry."

...xxx...xxx...

After about an hour of going over ghost techniques and whatever, the whole team marched into the woods like they owned it. They weren't prepared at all for a fight with an entity, but they were willing to risk it. After all, they couldn't take any more attacks. They were in enough danger as it was.

And so they entered the forest as one, with Knuckles and Rouge on the sides, Tails and Cream in the back (with Cheese, of course), Rose in the middle so she was protected on all sides, and Sonic and Amy in the front. Shadow was leading the way.

The deeper they got, the more nervous Sonic noticed Amy becoming. Right away he could tell it wasn't the forest that was scaring her - everyone was over the forest fear at this point - but it was the fact that they were about to have a showdown with a ghost that had literally been inside her, using her body to harm the only people in the world she cared about.

So yeah, Sonic knew she was worried about what was going to happen. He intertwined their fingers with the hopes of reminding her she wasn't alone.

Amy's expression didn't change at first, but then she looked down at their hands and smiled fondly, tipping Sonic off that she felt a little better.

But what he didn't know was that Amy had more to worry about than just the plan the Team had concocted. See, the plan was to get rid of Spirit by any means possible. Shadow was supposed to keep Spirit grounded with his awesomeness and then maybe she'd agree to leave after they scared her with threats or whatever. The plan was vague. Really vague.

But Amy had been inside Spirit. Or rather, Spirit had been inside her **(Ew, that sounded gross either way)**. She felt partially accountable for the things she'd been forced to do and felt like getting rid of Spirit should be for her to do. Fixing the situation would make her feel better, after all.

So she had to talk to Spirit. Alone. Yes, she could end up getting possessed or killed in the process, but it was the only thing Amy could think of. The only way to get Spirit to leave them alone was to get her to _want_ to leave them alone. She had to desert the island of her own free will, and everyone knew she'd never do that. She was obsessed with the island. It was her home.

But maybe Amy could make a deal with her to keep away from them at least. To not, you know, bother them, but to stay on the island if she wished.

However, Amy knew this plan probably wouldn't work, and that was why she was so worried.

Trembling, Amy squeezed Sonic's hand tighter, wishing she had at least a fraction of his confidence. He was always so sure of himself. Why couldn't she be as brave as him?

"Amy, um, would you mind loosening up your grip?" Sonic suddenly asked. "I understand you're nervous, but my hand is going numb."

"Sorry." Amy relaxed her fingers, allowing the blood to circulate through Sonic's hand again.

Relief flooded his face. "Thanks," he chuckled.

So with that, they trudged onward. Finally, Shadow came to a halt, holding his hand up. The Sonic Team stopped with him.

"What is it?" Amy asked, her eyes wide and her voice hushed with apprehension.

Shadow grimaced. "She's here."

"And how on _Mobius_ do you know that?" Knuckles demanded.

Shadow pointed ahead of them. Floating between two trees a couple of steps in front of the group was Spirit herself.

Knuckles deflated. "Oh."

"Why are you here?" Spirit hissed, her white, ghostly form turning crimson at the edges with rage. Her gaze kept shifting between Sonic, Amy, and Shadow. "I haven't done anything."

"Yet," Sonic finished with a growl. "You haven't done anything yet. We've come to make sure you don't do anything at all."

For a second, Spirit appeared intimidated, but then she floated forward with menace in her soulless eyes. "You can't get rid of me. You may know how to hurt me, but you don't know how to get rid of me." She looked smug. "What are you gonna do? Slap me with a cross? Spill salt on me?"

Knuckles hid the cross and salt he'd been carrying behind his back. "No," he said a little too quickly.** (Don't ask me where he got these things)**

Sonic glared at the echidna. "Knuckles, seriously?" Knuckles just shrugged.

"Anyway," Sonic continued, trying to get this 'thing' moving along. "You've caused us a lot of trouble, ghost, and we don't intend on leaving this forest until you're gone!"

Spirit sneered. "Then you'll never leave this forest..." She sank into the ground.

Immediately, the Sonic Team burst into panic.

"Where did she go?!" Knuckles yelped. Rouge beat her wings and flew into the air, not wanting her feet on the ground at that moment. Cream screamed bloody murder, holding on to Tails for dear life, who was hyperventilating. Rose, who was hiding behind both Cream and Tails, wailed loudly, huge tears falling out of her eyes.

"Guys, calm down!" Sonic cried out, trying to keep the group from being any more frightened than they already were. He had pulled Amy close to him on instinct as soon as Spirit had vanished, and she was currently deathly white, all the blood having drained from her face.

Shadow started stomping the ground. He was the only member of their group who hadn't had any drastic reaction from Spirit's disappearance. "Come out, you little pest!" he ordered, trying to find where the ghost was hiding. "Don't make me find you myself!"

Spirit came up from underground behind him and laughed maliciously. "Go ahead and try. You can't win," she taunted. He whirled around, but she made sure to keep behind him the whole time so he couldn't attack her.

Unfortunately, playing cat and mouse with Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. She had underestimated him, and for that, she paid the price.

Growling, Shadow yelled out the familiar line, "CHAOS CONTROL," making sure to have his Chaos Emerald firmly grasped in his hand. The world slowed down for him and he used the precious seconds the Emerald had given him to turn around, catch Spirit, and knock her to the ground, his foot on her weak spot. Time sped up again, and she wriggled around underneath him with protest, screaming, "No!" and "How have you done this!?"

Shadow smirked, looking down at her with the same smug expression she'd given only moments before. "I think I just won," he said.

Now seeing that the ghost had been apprehended, the Sonic Team relaxed, much to Sonic's relief.

"Okay, okay!" Spirit whined. "You got me grounded! Now what do you want?"

"You know what we want," Sonic said gruffly, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

Spirit laughed briefly. "Yeah, yeah, you want me gone and out of your precious little lives. WHATEVER." She rolled her eyes. "Ain't gonna happen, Roadrunner."

Sonic bristled. "Roadrunner?!"

Shadow punched him in the shoulder, shutting him up. "You'd better wise up, ghost, and go."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm going to convince you," Amy said, walking forward.

Sonic whirled around, holding out an arm in front of her instinctively. "Whoa, Ames, wait a second-"

"It's okay, Sonic," Amy said, smiling reassuringly at him. "I think I know what to do."

Biting his lip, Sonic stepped back. "If you're sure..."

Amy walked up to Spirit, kneeling down beside the struggling spirit. "If I tell Shadow to let you go, will you consent to us conversing like civilized Mobians?"

Spirit blew her a raspberry.

Amy straightened up stiffly. "Look, I'm trying to help you okay?" she said angrily. "I want to come to a consensuses."

"Really, what is with all these big C words?" Knuckles interrupted, his mitten hands on his hips.

"It's not my fault your vocabulary is limited," Amy said, shrugging.

"My vocabulary is NOT limited!" Knuckles argued, his eyes flaming.

"What's in it for me if I listen to you?" Spirit asked, interrupting them before they started arguing.

Amy turned back to the ghost. "I won't tell Shadow to beat you to a pulp," she said.

Spirit blinked (as much as a ghost can). "Okay, I'll bite." Then she added quickly, "Not literally, I mean, I'll listen to you without attacking."

"Good." Amy nodded at Shadow and he lifted his foot. Spirit floated up from the ground, her eyes never leaving Amy.

"Okay," Amy said. "Can you guys go over there?"

There was a silence among the Sonic Team. Then Cream stepped several feet back, clearly very willing to be far away from Spirit. Tails, Cheese, and Rose followed her. Next went Knuckles and Rouge, Shadow right behind them.

It was just Sonic left. Amy knew he was staring at her, she could feel his eyes on her back.

"Sonic, it's okay," she said softly. She hated asking him to do the one thing he didn't want to do, leave her in possible danger, but she needed Spirit to feel unthreatened **(Is that a word? Whatever, it is now)**. If Spirit felt even the slightest bit like she was being tricked, all bets were off.

"I can't leave you, Amy," Sonic said.

"Please, Sonic," Amy begged. "I can do this. You just need to trust me."

Pulling the trust card was a move Amy hadn't wanted to use, but it was all she could think of. When she turned around to see if Sonic was still there, she saw him standing back with the group, his gaze on the ground. She sighed miserably. She knew he was hurting, but there was no time to comfort him. She had to talk to Spirit before the ghost lost interest.

**(Since this part was the hardest to do, I had my helper The Evil Wolf Queen do a roleplay to help me out. She was Spirit and I was Amy. Sorry it's not very long, she was very brief with it. But that's okay with me, we were talking back and forth over Facebook and she takes forever to reply on there xD lol jk she's amazing.)**

"So, what do you want?" Spirit asked.

Amy faced the ghost. "I think you know what I want," she said bravely. "I want you to leave me and my friends alone. For good."

Spirit smirked. "Oh, but I can't do that until you leave the island. IF you leave the island."

Annoyed, Amy blew upwards to send her bangs out of her eyes. "Leaving was kind of part of the plan," she said angrily. "This isn't exactly paradise."

"Oh, but this island has a curse to destroy. It took me with it."

Amy took a step back. "Wait, what curse?"

"It's an expression. You see, this island destroys."

"Oh," Amy said. "Well, I can see_ that._"

"It's a shame really. I had so much planned." Spirit muttered, then went into a dream state for a quick second.

Annoyed, Amy snapped her fingers in front of the ghost's face. "Hey! Earth to ghost girl!"

"What?" Spirit snapped.

"Keep to the subject." Amy crossed her arms. "How do we break this 'curse'?"

"I told you it was an expression!" Spirit angrily replied.

Amy threw her arms in the air, exasperated. "Then what on Mobius are we supposed to do?!" she demanded. "You won't leave us alone, and all we want to do is get off this stupid island! How about we just make a deal?"

Spirit looked smug. "What, like, if you leave ME alone, I'll leave YOU alone?"

"Yes!" Amy said. "That's all I want."

"Maybe I don't want to leave you alone though," Spirit sneered.

"Oh yeah?" Done with everything, Amy summoned her hammer, slamming it on the top of Spirit's weak spot, sending the ghost crumbling to the ground. Amy leaned over Spirit, holding the hammer poised to strike again threateningly. "How about know? I can do this forever."

"Fine! You win! I'll stay in this crap forest and leave you and all your crap friends alone!" Spirit whined.

"Deal." Amy grinned, holding her hammer over her shoulder. "Pleasure doing business with you."

...xxx...xxx...

"So, she's going to leave us alone then?" Sonic asked, throwing an arm around Amy's shoulders the moment she returned from her talk with Spirit.

"Yep!" Amy said proudly, beaming at him. "I was able to make a deal."

"We could have down that, you know," Tails pointed out. "You didn't need to do it all by yourself."

Amy flushed. "I know, I just...felt obligated to do so."

"Oh great!" Knuckles groaned. "You've switched to O words! GREAT."

Smiling, Amy punched the echidna's arm. "Don't worry, bro, just say something whenever you need me to dumb words down to your level and I will."

"Oh, thanks, Amy-HEY!"

**Okay done. Sorry this is kind of short, I would have given more, but that would have taken longer and you guys deserve this.**

**Oh, one more thing before I start working on the next chapter. If you guys have questions, could you ask them _not_ as a guest? I can't answer if you're a guest, and I love answering questions.**

**Oh, and speaking of answering questions, for that one guest who asked me if I have a crush on Sonic...u****h. No. No I do not have a crush on Sonic (cough, anymore). I mean, I did when I was, like, seven. But even then I believed Sonic loved Amy (I know this because I have fanart from back then that totally sucks but is cute to look at).**

**So yeaaah. That's all I have to say.**

**Kthxbai.**


End file.
